balloonnoun [ C ]
uk/bəˈluːn/us/bəˈluːn/A2 a small, very thin rubber bag that you blow air into or fill with a light gas until it is round in shape, used for decoration at parties or as a children's toy:
We tied balloons and streamers to the ceiling ready for the party.
also hot-air balloon a very large balloon that is filled with hot air or gas and can carry people in a basket (= open container ) hanging under it:
People first flew in a balloon in 1783.
a speech bubble
More examples
- He let the air out of the balloon.
- The balloon went bang when it landed on the bush.
- Lottie was carrying a balloon.
- She pricked the balloon with a pin and it burst with a loud bang.
- The balloon rose gently up into the air.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Toys & dolls
- action figure
- beanbag
- building block
- cat's cradle
- doll
- go-kart
- golliwog
- golly
- gyro
- gyroscope
- hand puppet
- kaleidoscope
- pinwheel
- Play-Doh
- sandcastle
- scooter
- soft toy
- teddy
- trike
- windmill
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Objects & decorations connected with celebrations
Air travel: balloons & parachutes
Pictures
Idiom(s)
the balloon goes up
balloonverb [ I ]
uk/bəˈluːn/us/bəˈluːn/to get bigger and rounder:
I ballooned when I was pregnant with my second baby.
to quickly increase in size, weight, or importance:
The rumours soon ballooned into a full-blown scandal.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Becoming bigger
- accrue
- augment
- billow
- bloat
- broaden
- engorged
- enlarge
- enlargement
- expansion
- extend
- extension
- grow
- oak
- puff up
- regenerate
- scalability
- scalable
- scaleable
- shoot
- stretch
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Enlarging and inflating
Increasing and intensifying