What does "balloon" mean?

1. (party decoration) a thin rubber bag that you fill with air or gas for a party or decoration. 2. (aircraft) a very large bag filled with hot air or gas that can carry people in a basket underneath it. 3. (speech bubble) the shape around the words that characters speak in a comic book. 4. (medical device) a tiny bag that a doctor puts inside a person's body to open up a blocked tube or vein. 5. (to grow rapidly) to increase or grow in size very quickly. 6. (to puff out) to fill with air and become round like a ball.

balloon

n. · v.

US //bəˈɫun// UK //bəlˈuːn// bal·loon

1 party decoration (n.)
A2 Elementary

a thin rubber bag that you fill with air or gas for a party or decoration.

a small, flexible bag made of rubber or plastic, typically inflated with air or helium for decorative or recreational purposes.

Example

The children played with bright red balloons at the birthday party.

Example

The event planners filled the ballroom with hundreds of biodegradable balloons to create a festive atmosphere for the gala.
- inflatable
2 aircraft (n.)
B1 Intermediate Aviation

a very large bag filled with hot air or gas that can carry people in a basket underneath it.

a large, non-powered aircraft consisting of a bag filled with heated air or a gas lighter than air.

Example

We took a hot-air balloon ride over the valley at sunrise.

Example

The pilot monitored the burner carefully to maintain the balloon's altitude as they drifted over the mountain range.
- airship
- aerostat

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3 speech bubble (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

the shape around the words that characters speak in a comic book.

a graphic convention used in comic strips and cartoons to contain a character's spoken words or thoughts.

Example

The artist drew a jagged balloon to show that the character was shouting.

Example

In graphic novels, the shape and border of the speech balloon often convey the emotional tone of the dialogue.
- speech bubble
- thought bubble
4 medical device (n.)
C1 Advanced Technical Medicine

a tiny bag that a doctor puts inside a person's body to open up a blocked tube or vein.

an inflatable catheter-mounted device used in medical procedures, such as angioplasty, to dilate a vessel or cavity.

Example

The surgeon used a small balloon to open the patient's blocked artery.

Example

During the procedure, the balloon is inflated at the site of the blockage to restore normal blood flow through the vessel.
5 to grow rapidly (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

to increase or grow in size very quickly.

to expand or increase rapidly in size, volume, or importance. Intransitive use.

Example

The cost of the new stadium has ballooned since the project started.

Example

What began as a minor local dispute quickly ballooned into a national political scandal involving several high-ranking officials.
- shrink
- contract
6 to puff out (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

to fill with air and become round like a ball.

to swell or puff out like a balloon, often due to wind or internal pressure.

Example

The sails ballooned in the strong wind, pulling the boat forward.

Example

Her silk skirt ballooned around her as she stepped out into the gusty afternoon air.
- inflate
- bulge
- deflate

Origin

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.

Idioms3 entries