What does "balloon" mean?
An inflatable buoyant object, often (but not necessarily) round and flexible.
Balloon
/bəˈluːn/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An inflatable buoyant object, often (but not necessarily) round and flexible.
- Grammar: balloon is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: accrue, accumulate, advance, aeroplane.
- Useful contrasts: airship, airships, blimp.
- Usage evidence: The balloon descended gradually as the air came out.
How to use "balloon"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "balloon" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "balloon" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "balloon" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "balloon" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "balloon" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "accrue" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "balloon", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An inflatable buoyant object, often (but not necessarily) round and flexible.
- 2 large tough nonrigid bag filled with gas or heated air wordnet
- 3 Such an object as a child’s toy or party decoration.
- 4 small thin inflatable rubber bag with narrow neck wordnet
- 5 Such an object designed to transport people or equipment through the air.
"We immediately threw out all the little things we had with us, ſuch as biſcuits, apples, &c. and after that one of our oars or wings; but ſtill deſcending, we caſt away the other wing, and then the governail ; having likewiſe had the precaution, for fear of accidents, while the Balloon was filling, partly to looſen and make it go eaſy, I now ſucceeded in attempting to reach without the Car, and unſcrewing the moulinet, with all its apparatus; I likewiſe caſt that into the ſea."
Show 11 more definitions
- 6 A sac inserted into part of the body for therapeutic reasons; such as angioplasty.
- 7 A speech bubble.
- 8 A wide rounded glass with a stem and foot, used for wine, brandy, etc.
- 9 A ball or globe on the top of a pillar, church, etc.
"the balloon of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London"
- 10 A round vessel, usually with a short neck, to hold or receive whatever is distilled; a glass vessel of a spherical form.
- 11 A bomb or shell.
- 12 A game played with a large inflated ball. obsolete
- 13 The outline enclosing words represented as coming from the mouth of a pictured figure.
- 14 A woman's breast. slang
- 15 A small container for illicit drugs made from a condom or the finger of a latex glove, etc. slang
"And all I had to do in return was take a drive up to Ricardo's place on the way home and then a pretty edgy one back to Rondebosch with a balloon of coke sandwiched between two pairs of underpants."
- 16 Synonym of balloon payment.
"The purpose of the balloon is to reduce the periodic payment required during the life of the financing period."
Verb
- 1 To increase or expand rapidly. intransitive
"His stomach ballooned from eating such a large meal."
- 2 become inflated wordnet
- 3 To go up or voyage in a balloon. intransitive
- 4 ride in a hot-air balloon wordnet
- 5 To take up in, or as if in, a balloon. transitive
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 To inflate like a balloon. transitive
"A puff of wind from the open door caught and ballooned the scanties; off they sailed, out the window billowing into freedom."
- 7 To strike (a ball) so that it flies high in the air. transitive
"After four minutes, leading goalscorer Haworth slid in but ballooned the ball over from six yards, and Hume then outran the defence to get to the by-line, but he could only hit his cross straight out."
- 8 Of an aircraft: to plunge alternately up and down.
"The plane ballooned into the air about 20 feet, banging down again for another good-sized hop."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The balloon descended gradually as the air came out."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "balloon"?
Common synonyms include: accrue, accumulate, advance, aeroplane, aerostat, air bubble.
How do you use "balloon" in a sentence?
The balloon descended gradually as the air came out.
How do you pronounce "balloon"?
Pronounced /bəˈluːn/.
Etymology
First use appears c. 1591, "a game played with a large, inflated leather ball" (possibly via Middle French ballon) from Italian pallone (“large ball”) from palla (“ball”), from Lombardic *palla. The Northern Italian form, balla (“ball-shaped bundle”), today a doublet, likely derived from Old French balle, from Frankish *balla (“ball”), and may have influenced the spelling of this word. Both Germanic words are from Proto-Germanic *ballô (“ball”), *balluz, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰoln- (“bubble”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to blow, swell, inflate”). Akin to Old High German ballo, bal (“ball”), (German Ballen (“bale”); Ball "ball"). Doublet of ballon. More at ball.