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 Since then, Amazon's warehouse automation efforts have ballooned to over one million robots across its facilities that can pick, sort and ferry items to workers. — Annie Palmer, CNBC, 8 Nov. 2026 The stakes are especially high in Italy, Portugal, and Spain, where public pension obligations are ballooning and are expected to exceed 15% of GDP by 2045. — Daron Acemoglu, Time, 7 Nov. 2026 The city had initially estimated its cost would be $50 million, and later revealed in late 2024 that taxpayer costs had ballooned to $91 million. — Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 7 Nov. 2026 Already, the billionaire venture capitalist Joe Lacob’s investment of $50 million to buy the rights to a Bay Area expansion team has ballooned to a $1 billion valuation, a record for a women’s sports team. — Lauren Segal, New York Times, 5 Nov. 2026 See All Example Sentences for balloon

Recent Examples of Synonyms for balloon

Verb

Relying on spreadsheets or notebooks to monitor your trips takes time and reconstructing a log from memory increases the likelihood of mistakes.

— Marc Guberti, CNBC, 14 Nov. 2026
University of Miami plays Duke at noon Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium, and that means traffic will increase in the area before and after the game.

— Amaia Gavica, Miami Herald, 14 Nov. 2026

Definition of increase

Verb

Wire-thin cables protruding from the implant exit Pancho’s skull through the coin-sized opening.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2026
Once fished to the brink of extinction globally, sand tiger sharks, that iconic aquarium shark with a jaw of protruding, jagged teeth that only a mother could love, have been increasing in the Boston Harbor over the last decade.

— Asia London Palomba, Christian Science Monitor, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of protrude

Verb

As the second most expensive housing market in Southern California, USC expects Ventura County's average rent to rise even more, from $2,675 to $2,849 by 2029.

— Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 11 Nov. 2026
Democrats captured seven Senate seats nationally, a number that could rise to nine with two races yet to be called.

— David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 11 Nov. 2026

Definition of rise

Verb

On the other, the black sand slopes downward into darkness, garden eels poking cautiously from burrows before instantly retreating at the slightest movement.

— Avantika Chaturvedi, Travel + Leisure, 9 Nov. 2026
But Miami broke through in the third quarter when Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore went to the bench after being poked in the eye, according to the NBC broadcast.

— Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 8 Nov. 2026

Definition of poke

Verb

The deficit that swelled to three touchdowns was suddenly down to one score not once but twice.

— Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 10 Nov. 2026
In the southeastern states, however, vultures tend to remain year-round, so their numbers are more constant, though winter populations may swell as birds arrive from farther north.

— Rachel Silva, Martha Stewart, 9 Nov. 2026

Definition of swell

Verb

Doing this issuance will allow the district to accelerate some of its capital work, Shipley said Monday.

— Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 13 Nov. 2026
Experts say meeting the target could lower electricity costs, curb coal construction and accelerate the transition to clean energy.

— ABC News, ABC News, 13 Nov. 2026

Definition of accelerate

Verb

The loss helps expand the Democratic majority in the Assembly that could reach a record not seen since the 1850s.

— Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 14 Nov. 2026
Commission members are advancing a number of ideas to expand the role RESCs play in meeting Connecticut’s education goals.

— Theo Peck-Suzuki, Hartford Courant, 13 Nov. 2026

Definition of expand

Browse Nearby Words

ball of wax

balloon

ballooned

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Cite this Entry

Style

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

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Synonyms of balloon

verb

Example Sentences

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