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balloon
[buh-loon]
noun
a bag made of thin rubber or other light material, usually brightly colored, inflated with air or with some lighter-than-air gas and used as a children's plaything or as a decoration.
a bag made of a light material, as silk or plastic, filled with heated air or a gas lighter than air, designed to rise and float in the atmosphere and often having a car or gondola attached below for carrying passengers or scientific instruments.
(in drawings, cartoons, etc.) a balloon-shaped outline enclosing words represented as issuing from the mouth of the speaker.
an ornamental ball at the top of a pillar, pier, or the like.
a large, globular wineglass.
Chemistry Now Rare.a round-bottomed flask.
verb (used without object)
to go up or ride in a balloon.
to swell or puff out like a balloon.
to multiply or increase at a rapid rate.
Membership has ballooned beyond all expectations.
verb (used with object)
to fill with air; inflate or distend (something) like a balloon.
adjective
puffed out like a balloon.
balloon sleeves.
Finance.(of a loan, mortgage, or the like) having a payment at the end of the term that is much bigger than previous ones.
balloon
/ əˈː /
noun
an inflatable rubber bag of various sizes, shapes, and colours: usually used as a plaything or party decoration
a large impermeable bag inflated with a lighter-than-air gas, designed to rise and float in the atmosphere. It may have a basket or gondola for carrying passengers, etc See also barrage balloon hot-air balloon
a circular or elliptical figure containing the words or thoughts of a character in a cartoon
a kick or stroke that propels a ball high into the air
( as modifier )
a balloon shot
chem a round-bottomed flask
a large rounded brandy glass
commerce
a large sum paid as an irregular instalment of a loan repayment
( as modifier )
a balloon loan
surgery
an inflatable plastic tube used for dilating obstructed blood vessels or parts of the alimentary canal
( as modifier )
balloon angioplasty
informalto be completely unsuccessful or unpopular
informalwhen the trouble or action begins
verb
(intr) to go up or fly in a balloon
(intr) to increase or expand significantly and rapidly
losses ballooned to £278 million
to inflate or be inflated; distend; swell
the wind ballooned the sails
(tr) to propel (a ball) high into the air
Other Word Forms
- balloonlike adjective
- ˈǴDzԾԲ noun
- ˈǴDz-ˌ adjective
- ˈǴDzԾ noun
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of balloon1
Idioms and Phrases
Example Sentences
The vigil took place at Birch Hill Recreation Ground in Bracknell on Friday evening, with candles lit and balloons released in Othniel's memory.
Since then, the complaints have ballooned with some homeowners even holding a protest in April outside State Farm General’s claims tent on Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena.
According to a report by South Korea's Yonhap news agency, the military's decision also took into account the fact that the North has no longer been sending rubbish-filled balloons across the border.
The government's political opponents on the other hand, may look at that red line as it climbs steeply upwards and say: "See, public spending is ballooning out of control".
With Air Canada and Southwest the latest airlines to charge passengers for check-in luggage, the ballooning cost of such ancillary or "junk fees" is provoking anger among politicians and consumer groups.
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