BALLOON Synonyms: 72 Similar and Opposite Words

balloon

verb

Definition of balloon

as in to increase

to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number the number of students who stay home sick balloons every winter

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to protrude

to extend outward beyond a usual point the paper bag ballooned and blew away as the wind lifted it skyward

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of balloon The big loser was the information sector, where an average decline of 8,000 per month over the past year ballooned to 23,000 in August. — Laurent Belsie, Christian Science Monitor, 4 Sep. 2026 The total number of accommodations will balloon to 168 once the restoration of Palazzo Danieli Excelsior is done in 2027. — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026 The vast Pacific Ocean, with its remote and often sparsely populated island states, has ballooned in geopolitical importance over the past decade. — ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026 Factor in medical bills incurred in a foreign country and the costs can balloon quickly. — Eve Chen, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for balloon

Recent Examples of Synonyms for balloon

Verb

The incidence of colorectal cancer in particular has increased among younger people in recent years, other studies have found.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Sep. 2026
Fall travel is increasing even to destinations in Asia, where the window between September and November is already the peak season.

— Matt Ortile, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of increase

Verb

Anything that protrudes above the shallow, insulating snow cover is more prone to being damaged by the cold and wind or eaten by wildlife, said plant ecologist Anne Bjorkman of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026
Other animals on-site include a stable full of horses and Cowboy the tortoise, who is about the size of a lawnmower and whose head protrudes from what looks like a Venus flytrap made of bone.

— Emma Madden, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of protrude

Verb

In recent weeks, new cases and deaths have declined in Ituri province, the outbreak's epicenter, but risen sharply in neighboring North Kivu and Haut-Uele, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said at a weekly briefing.

— JEAN-YVES KAMALE, Arkansas Online, 11 Sep. 2026
Since late July, diesel prices have been rising higher and faster overall than the cost of regular unleaded gas.

— Steve Kopack, NBC news, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of rise

Verb

Traditionally, there’s this rendering of hell as a dark cave with fire, and there’s the devil with a pitchfork poking everybody with it.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026
With the help of Nollet, Anderson’s hair was blown and teased away from her forehead, with tinges of pink poking through.

— Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of poke

Verb

The ink came from the buds of oak leaves, swollen to the size of musket balls by the eggs of wasps.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
From book clubs to run clubs and a swelling calendar of brand events, online communities are spilling into physical spaces — and then returning to Instagram to document them.

— Amy O’Brien, Vogue, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of swell

Verb

At the end of his second-round match against Hubert Hurkacz, an eye-bulging celebration followed a relentless performance against a very tricky opponent.

— Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Inside, the main route to the galleries is down a stairwell between rough black bulging walls.

— Michael Joseph Gross, Travel + Leisure, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of bulge

Verb

In the 1980s some politicians and activists expanded their definitions to include Asian and African groups.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Sep. 2026
Data center demand meets nuclear power The agreement comes as Google expands its Finnish infrastructure, including its data center in Hamina.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of expand

Browse Nearby Words

ball of wax

balloon

ballooned

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Balloon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balloon. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of balloon

verb

Example Sentences

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