ballooned 1 of 2

adjective

as in expanded

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ballooned

2 of 2

verb

past tense of balloon
1
as in increased
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number the number of students who stay home sick balloons every winter

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in protruded
to extend outward beyond a usual point the paper bag ballooned and blew away as the wind lifted it skyward

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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 ballooned
Verb
Medicare has covered remote patient monitoring since 2018, and payments ballooned to over $500 million in 2024. — Mario Aguilar, STAT, 15 July 2026 As the deployment has continued and the number of troops in the city has ballooned, so has anti-National Guard sentiment. — Kat Lonsdorf, NPR, 14 July 2026 In the three decades since, the tournament has ballooned both by number of teams and revenue generated. — Eric Nager, Christian Science Monitor, 13 July 2026 Our top line grew exponentially, but our cost to support and maintain that customer also ballooned. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026 The city’s population has ballooned by 30% over the last five years to more than 30,000 residents, and city officials aren’t expecting that growth to slow down. — Noah Daly, Idaho Statesman, 8 July 2026 Those petitions ballooned after the administration began limiting the ability of many immigrants to seek release through bond hearings in immigration court. — Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026 Adventure bikes have ballooned into 600-pound continent crushers. — New Atlas, 6 July 2026 Stephanopoulos pressed Burgum on why the cost of the no-bid contract has ballooned from $2 million to more than $15 million, while the pool still isn’t fixed. — Drew Pittock, USA Today, 5 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ballooned
  1. swollen
  2. increased
  3. protruded
  4. distended
  5. swelled
  6. poked
  7. puffed
  8. rose
Adjective
  • Afterward, her face was so swollen that her daughter, Ana Corina, could barely recognize her.
    — Stephania Taladrid, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
  • Man kayaks Texas river during flash flood swelling The video drew attention online as flooding continued across parts of Texas, with officials warning residents to stay away from swollen rivers and creeks.
    — Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 17 July 2026
Definition of swollen
Verb
  • Bike lane tickets increased to $250 after the 2022 death of 3-year-old Lily Grace Shambrook, who was killed in a traffic crash while riding on the back of her mother’s bike in Uptown.
    — A.D. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 19 July 2026
  • Researchers could not attribute increased or decreased beach erosion to higher global average temperatures.
    — Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 July 2026
Definition of increased
Verb
  • The skinny braids wrapped the bottom of the bun, while the thicker braids dressed the top, forming a cylinder shape that protruded from the crown of her head.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 29 June 2026
  • The problem was that many of them protruded from the front of vehicles like miniature medieval weapons.
    — Peter Lyon, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
Definition of protruded
Adjective
  • Fiber slows gastric emptying, making the stomach more distended.
    — Amy Brownstein, Verywell Health, 27 May 2026
  • The distended episodes were littered with what feels like filler, little of which offered much in the way of narrative value.
    — Emma Flint, IndieWire, 25 Nov. 2025
Definition of distended
Verb
  • At the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the championship’s premiere race, the entry list swelled to 62.
    — Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 11 July 2026
  • Dozens of people have been rescued from catastrophic flooding in southeastern Missouri, including some camping along a river that swelled to historic heights.
    — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 10 July 2026
Definition of swelled
Verb
  • It’s now understood that Russia in 2016 poked the election systems in all 50 states to check what protections were in place and accessed—but did not change—some very local registration rosters in Florida and Illinois.
    — Philip Elliott, Time, 17 July 2026
  • The teen said Jones poked his head through the doorway, then returned to the room and continued firing before leaving the apartment.
    — Eleanor Jacobs, PEOPLE, 17 July 2026
Definition of poked
Adjective
  • Cover pot, reduce heat to low, and simmer, checking occasionally to make sure water isn’t boiling too rapidly, until matzo balls are very puffed and light in color, 30–40 minutes.
    — Molly Baz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 Mar. 2026
  • Bake, 1 baking sheet at a time, in preheated oven until slightly puffed and golden brown, about 12 minutes.
    — Marianne Williams, Southern Living, 25 Feb. 2026
Definition of puffed
Verb
  • The positivity rate rose to 21% among employees who underwent random hair testing, according to the company’s annual Drug Testing Index.
    — A.J. Herrington, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
  • Shares in chipmakers Samsung and TSMC in particular saw big gains from comparative lows, as investors bet that semiconductor demand would continue; tech-heavy benchmarks in South Korea, Taiwan, and China all rose.
    — Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of rose

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Cite this Entry

“Ballooned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ballooned. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of ballooned for Spanish Speakers

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