balloon

balloon — noun

1. a soft rubber bag that grows large and round when you blow air or a special ligh

1.nounA2
Definition

a soft rubber bag that grows large and round when you blow air or a special light gas into it, often used at parties or as a toy for children.

Example

Noa tied twenty pink balloons to the gate before her sister's birthday party.

tie + balloons to [object]

The clown gave each child a long balloon shaped like a dog.

balloon shaped like [noun]

Common collocations
  • blow up a balloon
  • burst a balloon
  • pop a balloon
  • tie a balloon
  • balloon animal

Grammar Patterns

blow up + a balloon

pop + a balloon

Usage Note

Almost always countable. Often appears with verbs of inflation (blow up, fill, inflate) and verbs of failure (pop, burst, deflate). The plural is common because balloons usually appear in groups at parties.

Common Mistakes

I bought a balloon of milk for the baby.
I bought a bottle of milk for the baby.
a 'balloon' is the rubber toy; for a container of liquid use 'bottle' or 'carton'.

2. a huge cloth bag that rises into the sky when warm air or special gas is pumped

2.nounB1
Definition

a huge cloth bag that rises into the sky when warm air or special gas is pumped inside, with a basket beneath it where passengers can stand and ride.

Example

We rode in a hot-air balloon over the temples of Bagan at sunrise.

ride in + a hot-air balloon

The pilot lit the burner and the balloon slowly climbed above the trees.

Common collocations
  • hot-air balloon
  • balloon ride
  • balloon flight
  • balloon pilot
  • balloon basket
Synonyms
  • hot-air balloon

    the more specific everyday term

  • airship

    a longer cigar-shaped craft with engines, not the same as a balloon

Grammar Patterns

go up in + a balloon

ride in + a balloon

Usage Note

Often appears as the compound 'hot-air balloon'. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense always involves a basket and human passengers, while sense 1 is a small toy. Common with verbs of motion (rise, drift, climb, land).

Common Mistakes

We flew on a balloon.
We flew in a balloon.
passengers stand inside the basket, so use 'in', not 'on'.

3. in a comic strip or cartoon, the round bubble drawn beside a character's head th

3.nounB2
Definition

in a comic strip or cartoon, the round bubble drawn beside a character's head that holds the words the character is saying or thinking.

Example

Above Spider-Man's head, a balloon shows him whispering, 'Where did she go?'

a balloon + shows [text]

The artist drew a small balloon with the cat's silent thoughts inside it.

Common collocations
  • speech balloon
  • thought balloon
  • draw a balloon
  • empty balloon
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

a balloon + above/over [character's head]

Usage Note

Often called a 'speech balloon' or 'thought balloon' to make the meaning clear. The shape of the tail (a sharp arrow vs. small bubbles) usually shows whether a character is speaking aloud or thinking silently.

Idioms

go down like a lead balloon

idiom

if a joke, plan, or speech goes down like a lead balloon, the listeners hate it and react with silence or anger.

Tom's joke about the boss went down like a lead balloon at the office party.

The mayor's plan to raise parking fees went down like a lead balloon with local drivers.

when the balloon goes up

idiom

the moment when a feared problem, fight, or crisis finally starts.

The Pearson family had stored food and water for weeks, ready for when the balloon goes up.

Nobody at the army base knew when the balloon would go up, but Sergeant Daniels kept his rifle within reach.

balloon — verb

balloon — adjective

Word family

  • ballooning
    nounC1
  • balloonist
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All five verbs describe a fast upward movement, but their flavours differ. 'Balloon' usually carries a negative or worried tone, especially with costs, debts, and weight (a budget that balloons feels out of control). 'Soar' is more positive — hopes, profits, and spirits soar — and sounds graceful. 'Skyrocket' is the strongest and most dramatic; it suits sudden, eye-catching jumps in prices or fame. 'Swell' is the gentlest, often describing crowds, rivers, or a quiet rise in numbers. 'Surge' suggests a powerful wave-like push, common with demand, support, or electricity. Compare: 'Property prices soared in 2010, skyrocketed during the pandemic, and have since ballooned beyond what most young families can afford.'

balloon ↗soar ↗skyrocketswell ↗surge ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • balloon ride
  • balloon flight
  • balloon pilot
  • balloon basket
  • balloon animal
  • balloon sleeves

Adverbs

Phrases

  • go up in a balloon
  • burst someone's balloon
  • lead balloon
  • hot-air balloon

Prepositions

  • balloon to
  • balloon from … to …
  • balloon into
  • balloon out
  • balloon over

Etymology

GermanicItalianFrenchEnglish

The word entered English in the late 1500s, borrowed through French 'ballon' from Italian 'pallone', meaning a large ball used in a kicking game. The Italian root 'palla' (ball) ultimately traces back to a Germanic source related to modern English 'ball'. The aircraft sense appeared in 1783, when the Montgolfier brothers flew the first hot-air balloon in France, and the verb 'to balloon' meaning to swell or grow rapidly developed by analogy in the 1800s.