balloon
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bal·loon
(bə-lo͞on′)n.
1.
a. A flexible bag designed to be inflated with hot air or with a gas, such as helium, that is lighter than the surrounding air, causing it to rise and float in the atmosphere.
b. Such a bag with sufficient capacity to lift and transport a suspended gondola or other load.
c. Such a bag shaped like a figure or object when inflated; an inflatable.
2. A usually round or oblong inflatable rubber bag used as a toy or decoration.
3. Medicine An inflatable device that is inserted into a body cavity or structure and distended with air or gas for therapeutic purposes, such as angioplasty.
4.
a. See speech bubble.
b. See thought bubble.
5. A balloon payment.
v. bal·looned, bal·loon·ing, bal·loons
v.intr.
1. To ascend or ride in a balloon.
2. To expand or swell out like a balloon. See Synonyms at bulge.
3. To increase or rise quickly: expenses ballooning out of control.
v.tr.
To cause to expand by or as if by inflating: unforeseen expenditures that ballooned the deficit.
adj.
Suggestive of a balloon, as in shape: balloon curtains.
[French ballon, from Italian dialectal ballone, augmentative of balla, ball, of Germanic origin; see bhel- in Indo-European roots.]
bal·loon′ist n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
balloon
(bəˈluːn)n
1. an inflatable rubber bag of various sizes, shapes, and colours: usually used as a plaything or party decoration
2. (Aeronautics) a large impermeable bag inflated with a lighter-than-air gas, designed to rise and float in the atmosphere. It may have a basket or gondola for carrying passengers, etc. See also barrage balloon, hot-air balloon
3. a circular or elliptical figure containing the words or thoughts of a character in a cartoon
4. (Ball Games, other than specified)
a. a kick or stroke that propels a ball high into the air
b. (as modifier): a balloon shot.
5. (Chemistry) chem a round-bottomed flask
6. a large rounded brandy glass
7. (Accounting & Book-keeping) commerce
a. a large sum paid as an irregular instalment of a loan repayment
b. (as modifier): a balloon loan.
8. (Surgery) surgery
a. an inflatable plastic tube used for dilating obstructed blood vessels or parts of the alimentary canal
b. (as modifier): balloon angioplasty.
9. go down like a lead balloon informal to be completely unsuccessful or unpopular
10. when the balloon goes up informal when the trouble or action begins
vb
11. (Aeronautics) (intr) to go up or fly in a balloon
12. (intr) to increase or expand significantly and rapidly: losses ballooned to £278 million.
13. to inflate or be inflated; distend; swell: the wind ballooned the sails.
14. (Ball Games, other than specified) (tr) Brit to propel (a ball) high into the air
[C16 (in the sense: ball, ball game): from Italian dialect ballone, from balla, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German balla ball1]
balˈlooning n
balˈloonist n
balˈloon-ˌlike adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
bal•loon
(bəˈlun)n.
1. an inflatable rubber bag used as a toy or for decoration.
2. a fabric bag filled with heated air or a gas lighter than air, designed to rise and float, often with a gondola suspended under it for passengers or instruments: a hot-air balloon.
3. (in cartoons) an outline enclosing words represented as issuing from the mouth of a speaker.
v.i. 4. to ride in a balloon.
5. to puff out like a balloon.
6. to increase at a rapid rate.
v.t. 7. to inflate or distend (something) like a balloon.
adj. 8. puffed out like a balloon: balloon sleeves.
9. (esp. of a loan or mortgage) having a payment at the end of the term that is much bigger than the previous ones.
[1570–80; (< Middle French ballon) < Upper Italian ballone, derivative of balla ball < Langobardic; see ball1]
bal•loon′like`, adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
balloon
Past participle: ballooned
Gerund: ballooning
| Imperative |
|---|
| balloon |
| balloon |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  balloon - large tough nonrigid bag filled with gas or heated airhot-air balloon - balloon for travel through the air in a basket suspended below a large bag of heated air lighter-than-air craft - aircraft supported by its own buoyancy meteorological balloon - a small unmanned balloon set aloft to observe atmospheric conditions ripcord - a cord that is pulled to open the gasbag of a balloon wide enough to release gas and so causes the balloon to descend trial balloon - a balloon sent up to test air currents |
| 2. |  balloon - small thin inflatable rubber bag with narrow neck | |
| Verb | 1. |  balloon - ride in a hot-air balloon; "He tried to balloon around the earth but storms forced him to land in China" |
| 2. |  balloon - become inflated; "The sails ballooned"reflate - become inflated again expand - become larger in size or volume or quantity; "his business expanded rapidly" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
balloon
noun
1. airship, hot-air balloon, Montgolfier, weather balloon the first to attempt to circle the Earth non-stop by balloon
verb
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
balloon
verbThe American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
balónbalon
ballonluftballon
kuumaõhupallõhupall
بالونتیزانك
ilmapallokuumailmapallo
balon
ballon
blaîra
風船
풍선
balionas
balonsgaisa balons
balón
balon
ballongluftballong
ลูกโป่ง
bóng bay
balloon
[bəˈluːn]Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
balloon
[bəˈluːn] modif (in hot-air balloon) [flight] → en montgolfière; [race] → de montgolfières
vi
(= increase) [deficit, debt, losses] → considérablement augmenter
(= get fatter) [person] (in size) → considérablement grossir; [weight] → considérablement augmenter
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
balloon
n
(Aviat) → (Frei)ballon m; (toy) → (Luft)ballon m; (Met) → (Wetter)ballon m; the balloon went up (fig inf) → da ist die Bombe geplatzt (inf); that went down like a lead balloon (inf) → das kam überhaupt nicht an
(in cartoons) → Sprechblase f
(Chem: also balloon flask) → (Rund)kolben m
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
balloon
(bəˈluːn) noun a large bag, made of light material and filled with a gas lighter than air. They decorated the dance-hall with balloons.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
balloon
→ بالون balón ballon Luftballon μπαλόνι globo ilmapallo ballon balon pallone aerostatico 風船 풍선 ballon ballong balon balão воздушный шар ballong ลูกโป่ง balon bóng bay 气球Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
bal·loon
n. globo, balón; slang [heroin] globo;
angioplasty ___ → ___ de angioplastia;
detachable ___ → ___ desmontable;
intraaortic ___ → ___ para uso intraaórtico.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
balloon
n (of a catheter) balón m (de una sonda)English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.