ballooned 1 of 2

adjective

as in expanded

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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
The tab has been growing more swiftly in recent years; interest payments on the debt have ballooned as interest rates and borrowing have risen; and all this is happening in relatively good economic times. — Tami Luhby, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026 The ballroom construction was originally expected to cost $200 million, then the price ballooned to $400 million, and the total construction cost was later estimated at $600 million. — Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 19 Aug. 2026 In 2024, Bay FC set the expansion fee expectation at $53 million, which has since ballooned to more than $200 million. — Emily Olsen, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026 California is attempting to build the nation's first bullet train, a project that's ballooned in cost and has blown through deadline after deadline for more than a decade. — Julie Watts, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026 In that time, the MCU has ballooned to become one of the biggest franchises in pop culture history. — Devan Coggan, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Aug. 2026 The following year, that number ballooned to 18, with 14 in Los Angeles County. — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026 After the Fourth of July, the pool was drained for a second time so workers could once again make repairs for the project that has ballooned in cost. — Mike Stunson, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026 As the spending in Michigan's Senate race ballooned, El-Sayed specifically criticized a pro-Israel political action committee, AIPAC, saying the organization had too much influence in politics. — Saige Miller, NPR, 5 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ballooned
  1. swollen
  2. increased
  3. protruded
  4. distended
  5. swelled
  6. poked
  7. puffed
  8. rose
Adjective
  • Upon arrival, police found 37-year-old Destiny Dunn deceased with bruises on her body, including her neck and face, and her eyelids were swollen and discolored, according to court documents.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 15 Aug. 2026
  • So is a swollen lymph node on the same side of your body as the scratch, which can signal cat-scratch disease, a bacterial infection most common in kids.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of swollen
Verb
  • Diagnoses of autism, a neurodevelopmental condition that affects how people communicate and behave, have increased roughly fivefold over the past couple of decades.
    — Amanda Seitz, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Confusion reigns Wright asserted that the seven-day average of oil flowing out of the Strait of Hormuz had increased to 9 million barrels per day.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of increased
Verb
  • In several looks, the hips protruded impressively outward, but the silhouette appeared more subtle and somewhat suitable for everyday wear in the label’s delicate camisole tops.
    — Kelly Niesen, Glamour, 24 July 2026
  • 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
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
  • Ada County has swelled by around 19% since 2020, adding close to 95,000 people, according to estimates from Compass Idaho.
    — CJ Haddad,Katie Tarasov, CNBC, 20 Aug. 2026
  • For example, in October of last year, the chip giant Nvidia swelled to become the first $5 trillion company on the mere possibility that some quantitative leap in AI’s abilities could emerge.
    — Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of swelled
Verb
  • In the 2024 playoffs, Carrington poked Fever phenom Caitlin Clark in the eye.
    — Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026
  • 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
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
  • Long-term Treasury yields rose to their highest point since 2007, creating another headwind for the economy and lifting borrowing costs for consumers and businesses.
    — David J. Lynch, Washington Post, 19 Aug. 2026
  • As for metal, solid gold, whether yellow, white, or rose, remains the steadiest choice, aging with grace and holding its value across the years.
    — Pooja Mistry, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of rose

Browse Nearby Words

balloon
ballooned
ballooning
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ballooned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ballooned. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on ballooned

Nglish: Translation of ballooned for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of august

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All