balloon

¹bal·loon

noun \bə-ˈlün\

Definition of BALLOON

1

: a nonporous bag of light material that can be inflated especially with air or gas: as

a : a bag that is filled with heated air or a gas lighter than air so as to rise and float in the atmosphere and that usually carries a suspended load (as a gondola with passengers)

b : an inflatable bag (as of rubber or plastic) usually used as a toy or for decoration

2

: the outline enclosing words spoken or thought by a figure especially in a cartoon

Examples of BALLOON

1. I blew up a balloon but then it burst.
2. brightly colored balloons and other party decorations

Origin of BALLOON

French ballon large football, balloon, from Italian dialect ballone large football, augmentative of balla ball, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German balla ball — more at ball

First Known Use: 1783

Other Aeronautics/Aerospace Terms

airway, apron, corridor, dirigible, fishtail, flat-hat, vector

Rhymes with BALLOON

aswoon, attune, baboon, bassoon, blue moon, buffoon, Calhoun, Cancún, cardoon, cartoon, cocoon, commune, doubloon, dragoon, festoon, fine-tune, forenoon, full moon, gaboon, gadroon, galloon, Gudrun, half-moon, harpoon, high noon, immune, impugn, jargoon, jejune, Kowloon, Kunlun, lagoon, lampoon, lardoon, Maine coon, maroon, monsoon, Neptune, new moon, oppugn, Pashtun, patroon, platoon, poltroon, pontoon, premune, puccoon, quadroon, ratoon, repugn, rough-hewn, saloon, Sassoon, shalloon, soupspoon, spittoon, spontoon, teaspoon, tribune, triune, tuchun, tycoon, typhoon, untune, Walloon

²balloon

adjective

Definition of BALLOON

1

: relating to, resembling, or suggesting a balloon <a balloon sleeve>

2

: being or having a final installment that is much larger than preceding ones in a term or installment note

First Known Use of BALLOON

circa 1786

Other Economics Terms

actuary, compound interest, globalization, indemnity, portfolio, rentier, stagflation, usurer

³balloon

verb

Definition of BALLOON

intransitive verb

1

: to swell or puff out : expand <ballooned to 200 pounds>

2

: to ascend or travel in or as if in a balloon

3

: to increase rapidly <ballooning prices>

transitive verb

: inflate, increase

Examples of BALLOON

1. Their credit card debt ballooned to more than $5,000.
2. the ballooning costs of education

First Known Use of BALLOON

1841

Related to BALLOON

Synonyms

accelerate, accumulate, appreciate, increase, boom, build up, burgeon (also bourgeon), climb, enlarge, escalate, expand, gain, mount, multiply, mushroom, proliferate, rise, roll up, snowball, spread, swell, wax

Antonyms

contract, decrease, diminish, dwindle, lessen, recede, wane

Related Words

jump, rocket, skyrocket, surge; heighten, intensify, redouble; blow up, bulk, distend, inflate, puff (up); crescendo, crest, peak

Near Antonyms

compress, condense, constrict, contract, shrink

balloon

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Large airtight bag filled with hot air or a lighter-than-air gas such as helium or hydrogen that can rise and float in the atmosphere. Experimental attempts may have begun by 1709, but not until 1783 did J.-M. and J.-É. Montgolfier develop a fabric-bag balloon that would rise when filled with hot air. Balloons provided military aerial observation sites in the 19th century and were used in the 20th century by scientists such as Auguste Piccard to gather high-altitude data. The first round-the-world balloon flight was achieved in 1999 by Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones. See also airship.