Definition of balloon
plural balloons
1
: a nonporous bag of light material that can be inflated especially with air or gas: such 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 (such as a gondola with passengers)
b
: an inflatable bag (as of rubber or plastic) usually used as a toy or for decoration
c
medical
: a small bag that can be inflated (as in a bodily cavity) with air or gas
- More than 700,000 Americans undergo procedures in which clogged arteries are cleared out with a balloon and then propped open with a tiny metal scaffold called a stent.
- —Ron Winslow
2
: the outline enclosing words spoken or thought by a figure especially in a cartoon
—
go over like a lead balloon
US
or British
go down like a lead balloon
informal
: to fail completely to impress or amuse other people
- Not surprisingly, his overt religiosity has proved a mixed blessing. While probably a winner on the stump, it has gone over like a lead balloon with journalists, liberals, and even many Jewish organizations.
- —Michelle Cottle
- But the last time I saw it on stage, in Ned Sherrin's 1996 revival, the dialogue bored me rigid and the whole thing … went down like a lead balloon.
- —David Nice
