balloon /bə-loonˈ/

1. An apparatus for travel in the air, or for carrying weather-recording instruments, etc, supported by buoyancy rather than mechanically driven, consisting of a large bag that is filled with gas, and a cabin or basket beneath
2. A toy consisting of an inflatable rubber bag
3. Something inflated or hollow, usu coloured (figurative)
4. A large globular wineglass
5. A round-bottomed flask (chem)
6. An ornamental ball on a pillar, etc (architecture)
7. A balloon-shaped outline enclosing the words or thoughts of a strip cartoon character
8. A balloon-shaped outline enclosing words, etc for insertion into text (proofreading, etc)
9. A person both foolish and opinionated (Scot)
10. (also ballon /ba-lɔ̃ or ba-lōnˈ/) a game played with a large inflated ball, or the ball itself (obsolete)

1. Of or like a balloon
2. (of a loan, mortgage, etc) involving a final payment much larger than preceding ones

1. To inflate
2. To send high in the air

1. To ascend or travel in, or as if in, a balloon
2. To puff out like a balloon
3. (of an aeroplane) to rise up in the air (as a result of landing on a firm surface, or increased airspeed, etc)

ballonet /bal-o-netˈ/ noun

In a balloon or dirigible, a small bag from which air is allowed to escape, and into which air is forced, to compensate for changes of pressure in the gasbag

• leaden
• leadened
• leadening
• leadenly
• leadenness
• leadennesses
• leadens
• leaden-stepping
• leader
• leaderboard
• leaderboards
• leader-cable
• leader-cables
• loose fall
• loose fish
• loose fishes
• loose forward
• loose forwards
• loose-head prop
• loose housing
• loose-jointed
• loose-knit
• loose-leaf
• loose-limbed
• loosely