1
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
2
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
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Recent Examples of balloon
By 2023, that figure had ballooned to $121 billion, according to The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
—
Sequoia Carrillo, NPR, 5 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, the economic slowdown in China and ballooning public debt in the United States are in part due to the two powers’ aging populations.
—John Rennie Short, The Conversation, 31 Mar. 2026
Trump has said private donors would foot the bill for the project, the price of which has ballooned from the original $200 million estimate.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026
OpenAI kickstarted the artificial intelligence boom with the launch of its ChatGPT chatbot in 2022, and the company has since ballooned into one of the fastest-growing commercial entities on the planet.
—Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for balloon
Sequoia Carrillo, NPR, 5 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, the economic slowdown in China and ballooning public debt in the United States are in part due to the two powers’ aging populations.
—John Rennie Short, The Conversation, 31 Mar. 2026
Trump has said private donors would foot the bill for the project, the price of which has ballooned from the original $200 million estimate.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026
OpenAI kickstarted the artificial intelligence boom with the launch of its ChatGPT chatbot in 2022, and the company has since ballooned into one of the fastest-growing commercial entities on the planet.
—Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for balloon
Recent Examples of Synonyms for balloon
Verb
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The MorphoScan’s measurements ebbed and flowed from day to day as expected, with my weight dropping the day after a cardio workout and increasing after a weekend of indulgence.—
Andrew Gebhart,
PC Magazine,
5 Apr. 2026
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UConn recovered from its prolonged shooting slump to regain its bearings, eventually increasing its lead to 10 points on a Mullins’ 3 with 47 seconds left in the half before heading into the locker room up 37-29.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Harden, 36, with his famous, protruding beard and those dark, piercing eyes, was determined to use his star power to get his way, to bring with him a slice of comfort to a new city.—
Joe Vardon,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2026
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Part of it protrudes from the exterior, with natural airflow helping keep the food inside chilled.—
Adam Williams
March 29,
New Atlas,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Between rising costs, vanishing support systems and nonstop scrutiny, parenthood, as Ej Dickson describes in One Bad Mother, has started to feel less like a choice than a trap.—
Micah Barkley,
Bloomberg,
10 Apr. 2026
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Vance’s top dog status could spur rivals in both parties to portray him as the face of an unpopular war that voters blame for rising inflation and the all-important price of gas at the pump.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Wrencher said Russell once tied her to a chair, poked her with a knife, and threatened to burn the house down, the son said.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
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Both characteristics were on full display when Drasner hit the local airwaves with a television commercial that promoted The News and poked fun at one of its upstart rivals.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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When the company was in production, the building swelled with hundreds of employees, including personnel from Kelvin Optical, its in-house visual effects company.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Apr. 2026
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Signs that a battery is about to fail include swelling, hissing, popping, an unusual odor and excessive heat, according to a New York Division of Homeland Security battery consumer guide.—
Fedor Zarkhin,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Tar Heel pipeline isn’t exactly bulging with the kind of coach the UNC job could attract.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
25 Mar. 2026
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The Apple engineers’ eyes bulged in astonishment.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Such mutations can accelerate a tumor’s growth, making the cancer harder and harder to treat and sometimes, as in this instance, claiming the patient’s life.—
Jerome Groopman,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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Netanyahu backed the bill despite warnings of an international backlash accelerating Israel’s diplomatic isolation in Europe and beyond.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Its owners have expanded their impact and influence to the nearby community to limit development and maintain its cultural identity, which includes restoring and caring for the historic stone buildings from the salt trade era.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Apr. 2026
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This will expand affordable rental options and enable home repairs, solar installations and energy upgrades.—
Chase Jordan
April 7,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Balloon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balloon. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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