From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishldoce_016_dballoonbal‧loon1 /bəˈluːn/ ●●○ noun [countable] 1 
DLan 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 TTA (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 Moors3 TCNthe circle drawn around the words spoken by the characters in a cartoon SYN bubble4 → a balloon payment5 → the balloon goes up → go down like a lead balloon at lead3(3)
DLan 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 TTA (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 Moors3 TCNthe circle drawn around the words spoken by the characters in a cartoon SYN bubble4 → a balloon payment5 → the balloon goes up → go down like a lead balloon at lead3(3)Examples from the Corpus
balloon• They're holding a huge festival in September with 70 balloons.• No cardiologist would insert a balloon.• I sail up the hill and along Hyde Hill Lane as if I were a balloon.• hot air balloon rides• It will be years before I will understand the significance of these little balloons.• For this design knit the single teddy starting on the seventh stitch to avoid knitting part of the balloon.• Tell the students to blow up the balloon and then tape the straw to the balloon.• The balloons drop at midnight, and free champagne and party favors are included with your ticket.• A good cabinet officer will take a policy proposal, put a trial balloon out.blow up• Come and help me blow up the balloons.balloon flight• For example: A: Do you know what the longest balloon flight was?balloonballoon2 (also balloon out) verb [intransitive] 1 INCREASE IN NUMBER OR AMOUNTto suddenly become larger in amount SYN 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 GROW/GET BIGGERto get bigger and rounder The sheet flapped and ballooned in the wind.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
balloon• The program's cost has ballooned from $270 million to more than $1 billion.• In recent years, the local police force has ballooned from two officers to 11.• Worse, hard drives in recent years have ballooned in size.• He looked at Angelina and overate, the right side of his. face ballooned like a heavyweight squirrel.• As firms' share of total deposits has ballooned, so Sberbank's relative power has shrivelled.• He ballooned to 300 pounds since college.• In this view, hot, insulated mantle wells up beneath a supercontinent, causing it to balloon upward.• Even as the black population ballooned, whites kept control of the City Council.Origin balloon1 (1500-1600) French ballon “large football, balloon”, from Italian ballone “large football”, from balla “ball” 