balloon
[verb]
Synonyms: swell, billow, blow up, dilate, distend, expand, grow rapidly, inflate, puff out

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. bal‧loon¹ /bəˈluːn/ noun [countable]
[Date: 1500-1600; Language: French; Origin: ballon 'large football, balloon', from Italian ballone 'large football', from balla 'ball']

1. an object made of brightly coloured thin rubber, that is filled with air and used as a toy or decoration for parties:
Can you help me blow up these balloons?
He burst the balloon in my face.

2. (also hot air balloon) a large bag of strong light cloth filled with gas or heated air so that it can float in the air. It has a basket hanging below it for people to stand in:
a balloon flight over the Yorkshire Moors

3. the circle drawn around the words spoken by the characters in a cartoon Synonym : bubble

4. a balloon payment American English money borrowed that must be paid back in one large sum after several smaller payments have been made:
a $10,000 balloon payment due in two years

5. the balloon goes up British English informal used to refer to the moment when a situation starts to become really bad:
We’ll have to get out of there before the balloon goes up.
⇒ go down like a lead balloon at lead³(3)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. balloon² (also balloon out) verb [intransitive]

1. to suddenly become larger in amount Synonym : explode:
The company’s debt has ballooned in the past year.

2. if someone balloons, they suddenly become fat:
Paul ballooned after he got married.

3. to get bigger and rounder:
The sheet flapped and ballooned in the wind.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

balloon
noun
I. toy
ADJ. helium helium balloons for the children's party
VERB + BALLOON blow up, inflate | burst, pop
BALLOON + VERB burst, pop

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

balloon
II. in the sky
ADJ. barrage, hot-air
VERB + BALLOON go up in We went up in a balloon.
BALLOON + NOUN flight | race
PREP. by ~ She crossed the Atlantic by hot-air balloon.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

balloon
bəˈlu:n
See: trial balloon , lead balloon

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲