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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

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 ballooned
Verb
Faced with more predators, prey and competition, their nervous systems rapidly ballooned to meet the new demands. — Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 29 July 2026 The policy’s cost to the state has ballooned into the billions as the industry grows and evolves, prompting some state officials to call for an end to the tax break. — Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 July 2026 And that uncertainty has ballooned into a crisis of its own, which has only intensified after a rapid series of announcements from the Food and Drug Administration. — Allie Canal, NBC news, 24 July 2026 Property values increased by 60% in Miami-Dade in the half decade since 2019, and property taxes ballooned by almost 50% over the same period, according to real estate analytics firm Cotality. — Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 23 July 2026 The price tag has since ballooned to over $14 million, and more than two weeks after Independence Day, the pool is empty and fenced off from the public. — Rachel Treisman, NPR, 22 July 2026 But over the next 18 months, Poolside largely disappeared from view, while OpenAI and Anthropic ballooned to nearly trillion-dollar valuations with a crop of Chinese labs building open source models nipping at their heels. — Iain Martin, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026 More than 1 in 17 new California home loans are being written using the state’s insurer of last resort — the California FAIR Plan, which has ballooned in growth in recent years. — Paris Barraza, USA Today, 21 July 2026 The tournament’s duration, though, had ballooned to 39 days, a decision that has been routinely criticised by players’ unions. — Colin Millar, New York Times, 21 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
  • With their swollen, flaring buttresses and soaring heights of 80 feet or more, the trees are awe-inspiring when reflected in the dark water.
    — Charles Seabrook, AJC.com, 25 July 2026
  • Cubital tunnel syndrome occurs when the ulnar nerve, which passes through a tunnel on the inside of the elbow, becomes inflamed, swollen and irritated, Johns Hopkins explains.
    — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 25 July 2026
Definition of swollen
Verb
  • Russian forces have increased the number of missile strikes on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, likely as part of a push to exploit Kyiv’s shortage of ballistic missile interceptors.
    — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 3 Aug. 2026
  • China increased its output by more than 34 terawatt-hours, which means that without China, global nuclear generation would have declined.
    — Robert Rapier, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 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
  • Originally famed for the company’s organs that swelled Detroit theaters and churches, the situation became perilous after Wurlitzer and the remaining tenants all left by 1982.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Though Apple has been late to the AI game, investors have come to appreciate that the company is not locked in the arms race that has swelled capital expenditures at Meta, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon.
    — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 31 July 2026
Definition of swelled
Verb
  • Offering a clever twist, the warm cake is poked with the handle of a wooden spoon, creating space for a vanilla-pineapple pudding to sink deep into the crumb.
    — Erin Merhar, Southern Living, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Let sit at room temperature until buns are puffed and expanded to edges of muffin cups (dough will spring back when poked but hold a slight indentation), 25–35 minutes.
    — Claire Saffitz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 Aug. 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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balloon
ballooned
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Cite this Entry

“Ballooned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ballooned. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of ballooned for Spanish Speakers

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