as in expanded
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ballooned
Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
Take note that the Roundhill Memory ETF (DRAM) , which has Micron Technology , SK Hynix and Samsung as its largest holdings, has already ballooned to $10 billion in assets under management, after only launching a little over a month ago.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 15 May 2026
But the gulf has ballooned back to 28 points this term, and this month a rejuvenated City cruised to a 3-0 victory at Stamford Bridge.
—Liam Twomey, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Leslie Jones, plugging her new HGTV series Roast My Rental, rattled off the names of a few of the two dozen cable networks on the roster (which ballooned after the 2022 merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery).
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 14 May 2026
Since then, Rothko’s auction record has ballooned greatly.
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 14 May 2026
The collective values of those assets have ballooned over time, thanks to a surging stock market, rising home values and a steady accumulation of home equity.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 9 May 2026
The project’s vast ambitions have already accrued about five years of delay, and, all told, its price to taxpayers has ballooned to nearly $5 billion.
—Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 8 May 2026
Over the past decade, homelessness has skyrocketed by 40 percent, even as homelessness spending has ballooned.
—Christopher Calton, Oc Register, 8 May 2026
Verb
Delivery times for the laptop have ballooned to as much as four weeks as Taiwan’s Quanta and Foxconn rush to fill orders from factories in Vietnam and China.
—Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
Take note that the Roundhill Memory ETF (DRAM) , which has Micron Technology , SK Hynix and Samsung as its largest holdings, has already ballooned to $10 billion in assets under management, after only launching a little over a month ago.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 15 May 2026
But the gulf has ballooned back to 28 points this term, and this month a rejuvenated City cruised to a 3-0 victory at Stamford Bridge.
—Liam Twomey, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Leslie Jones, plugging her new HGTV series Roast My Rental, rattled off the names of a few of the two dozen cable networks on the roster (which ballooned after the 2022 merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery).
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 14 May 2026
Since then, Rothko’s auction record has ballooned greatly.
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 14 May 2026
The collective values of those assets have ballooned over time, thanks to a surging stock market, rising home values and a steady accumulation of home equity.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 9 May 2026
The project’s vast ambitions have already accrued about five years of delay, and, all told, its price to taxpayers has ballooned to nearly $5 billion.
—Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 8 May 2026
Over the past decade, homelessness has skyrocketed by 40 percent, even as homelessness spending has ballooned.
—Christopher Calton, Oc Register, 8 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ballooned
Verb
-
The lead times for high-voltage transformers, essential for grid interconnection, have increased to as long as four years.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
On Darlene Lane, the flow of contamination increased in late April and continues to seep into their neighbor’s yard.—
Nick Bowlin,
ProPublica,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Under the flaps of his jacket there was a small tear in his T-shirt, directly over his left nipple, which protruded like a knot of purple rope.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 May 2026
-
Shards of glass and ceramic, rusted metal, medical and bio-waste, syringes, cracked circuit boards, and broken electronics protruded everywhere.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Instead, clivia have thick, fibrous roots attached to a swollen base known as a rhizome.—
Tom MacCubbin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 May 2026
-
Mpox symptoms can include fever, swollen lymph nodes and a characteristic rash, according to CDC.—
Brittany Miller,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Becerra has since won endorsements from influential labor groups and Latino state leaders, and his once anemic fundraising has swelled.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 May 2026
-
The popularity of Dry January has swelled.—
Luis Parrales,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Many curious passersby poked their heads inside, wondering if the restaurant was serving food again.—
Iris Kwok
May 12,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
-
Holding her breath, Ana poked her head into the coop.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
Data from travel booking platform TrainPal shows that in April, purchases by UK residents of Eurostar tickets to France jumped 42% month-over-month and rose 25% year-over-year.—
,
CNBC,
18 May 2026
-
The pair wiped away tears as the audience rose to their feet in applause following the screening.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Her stomach bulged beneath her I ❤ FLORIDA boatneck and her face was round and waxy-pale.—
Stephen King,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2026
-
The Apple engineers’ eyes bulged in astonishment.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
Once per act, a second duo crashes in on Didi and Gogo, providing the tramps’ power balance with a lurid, distended foil.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ballooned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ballooned. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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