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
Nearly 12 years on, the project remains ongoing and costs have ballooned.
—
Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
After just 20 minutes, the crowd ballooned to 1,500 people.
—Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2025
Follower counts across multiple platforms for his non-government account, @GavinNewsom, ballooned -- growing to more than 11 million followers collectively.
—Brittany Shepherd, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2025
And none of this money includes what other partner nations pay per year on upkeep of their modules and the care, feeding, and training of crews, ballooning the overall cost further.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for balloon
Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
After just 20 minutes, the crowd ballooned to 1,500 people.
—Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2025
Follower counts across multiple platforms for his non-government account, @GavinNewsom, ballooned -- growing to more than 11 million followers collectively.
—Brittany Shepherd, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2025
And none of this money includes what other partner nations pay per year on upkeep of their modules and the care, feeding, and training of crews, ballooning the overall cost further.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for balloon
Recent Examples of Synonyms for balloon
Verb
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Wild news in the Financial Times this morning, which reports that China has substantially increased energy subsidies for some of its largest data centers in a bid to bolster its position in the global AI race.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
4 Nov. 2025
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Rising prices for cars, parts and repairs needed, and medical bills have increased, driving up the price of insurance.—
NPR,
NPR,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Spider-y lash extensions protruded from her lash line, reaching to the bottom of her brows; a thin wing of black liner was drawn from the outer corners of her eyes.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
22 Oct. 2025
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The protruding bracket behind the air guide appears to be a cable guide, and the box behind the cable guide is a three-drive cage.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The number of foreign residents has risen sharply in recent years, reaching a record 3 percent of the population in 2024, as Tokyo cautiously loosened visa rules for workers in key industries such as manufacturing, agriculture, and caregiving.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
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In that appearance, Thilly moonwalked across the floor and performed a backspin before using his allotted five minutes to complain about rising taxes, according to CBS News New York.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Vogue's Anna Wintour playfully poked fun at Rocky's daughter being his namesake in her introduction to the rapper, 37.—
Anika Reed,
USA Today,
4 Nov. 2025
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Sad and Beautiful World finds Mavis, 86, exploring, rediscovering, and poking holes at her lifetime of righteous optimism.—
Jonathan Bernstein,
Rolling Stone,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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She was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition and underwent emergency surgery, during which doctors removed part of her skull to relieve swelling.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
25 Oct. 2025
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Venezuela’s armed forces comprise roughly 109,000 active personnel, but the total number swells when paramilitary and reserve units are included.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Swain agreed and boarded the red-eye to Heathrow toting a bulging roller suitcase packed full of financials.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
1 Nov. 2025
-
Suddenly 10 more heads surfaced, every bulging eye on us.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The open-source project has been used by millions of scientists in more than 190 countries, accelerating research into diseases previously considered intractable.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
26 Oct. 2025
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Southern China’s tropical to subtropical climate – with heavy rainfall, heat, and humidity – accelerates chemical weathering, while the region’s long history of tectonic and magmatic activity adds further erosion.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In addition to WeRide and Pony AI, Baidu is also expanding its robotaxi offerings through its Apollo Go vehicles.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
6 Nov. 2025
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That includes a new and robust collaboration with Brazil’s federal government and 22 of its states—including Pará—to expand cooperation on climate action.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Balloon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balloon. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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