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balloons

verb

present tense third-person singular of balloon
1
as in increases
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number the number of students who stay home sick balloons every winter

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in protrudes
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 balloons Cut with a curved outer seam that balloons slightly through the thigh before tapering at the ankle, the shape is all about creating volume. — Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 29 Dec. 2025 The mid-rise jeans have an exaggerated barrel silhouette that balloons out at the knee and tapers into a wide-leg fit at the ankle. — Clara McMahon, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025 The specter of inflation will only reappear if the Fed balloons the money supply. — Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for balloons
  1. increases
  2. protrudes
  3. rises
  4. pokes
  5. swells
  6. bulges
  7. expands
  8. bags
Verb
  • Why wouldn’t the players want a system that pays them a larger share of the overall revenue, increases their salary minimums and gives them earlier access to arbitration eligibility and free agency?
    — Jim Bowden, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Even people who carry the APOE4 gene, which increases the risk of later-in-life Alzheimer’s, still benefited from a healthier middle age.
    — Lauran Neergaard, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of increases
Verb
  • Anything that protrudes above the shallow, insulating snow cover is more prone to being damaged by the cold and wind or eaten by wildlife, said plant ecologist Anne Bjorkman of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Other animals on-site include a stable full of horses and Cowboy the tortoise, who is about the size of a lawnmower and whose head protrudes from what looks like a Venus flytrap made of bone.
    — Emma Madden, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of protrudes
Verb
  • Smoke rises from the area of the Russian oil producer Gazprom Neft's Moscow oil refinery as seen from Dzerzhinsky in the Moscow region on September 20, 2026.
    — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 21 Sep. 2026
  • The upper floor has roughly 11-foot ceilings, while the main level rises to about 14 feet, according to the listing information.
    — David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of rises
Verb
  • Bryan gets attacked by a dog, who pokes its head through a barn wall…and then the dog’s face splits apart like a flower, with tentacles shooting out.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Natural light pokes through the windows, adding a trademark freshness to an indoor coliseum.
    — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of pokes
Verb
  • The space suddenly swells with agents, assistants, clients and others shuffling through for lunch.
    — Oren Peleg, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026
  • The impact jostled loose a few petals before the circle of blossoms slowly drifted away on the luminescent blue Bermudian swells.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of swells
Verb
  • According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), a brain aneurysm is a weakened area in an artery that bulges outward and fills with blood.
    — Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
Definition of bulges
Verb
  • Closing the pay gap alone expands the payroll tax base enough to cover one-third of the Social Security funding shortfall.
    — Katica Roy, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2026
  • This approach expands access beyond users who know SQL or complex BI interfaces.
    — Somnath Banerjee, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of expands
Verb
  • Secure bags together with an industry secret Airline staff have an ability to bob and weave through terminals without fumbling their bags.
    — Abbey Hudetz, Travel + Leisure, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Bean bags that land on the board without first touching the ground or falling off are worth one point.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of bags

Browse Nearby Words

ballooning
balloons
ballot
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Cite this Entry

“Balloons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balloons. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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