Balloon
/bəˈluːn/
nounverbA2
Definition
As a noun, a balloon is a small, often colorful object made from rubber or plastic that you fill with air or gas to make it bigger and sometimes float. As a verb, balloon means to get much larger or more in a short time.
Was this helpful?
See It in Action
Noun: A light object made of rubber or plastic filled with air or gas
- •The children played with colorful balloons at the party.
- •She let go of the balloon, and it floated up into the sky.
- •Balloons come in many shapes and sizes for celebrations.
Verb: To increase quickly in size or amount
- •The cost of the project ballooned after unexpected problems.
- •His debt ballooned because he spent too much money.
- •The crowd at the concert ballooned as more people arrived.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "balloon" like "ball," but a balloon is soft and can get bigger when you blow air inside it.
- ✓Picture a bright red balloon rising slowly in the sky during a party or festival.
- ✓It’s the happy feeling of holding a balloon at a birthday party, light and fun.
- ✓Sounds like "ball-LOON" → imagine a big round "ball" with a "loon" (a funny bird) flying up with it.
- ✓Think of stories where balloons fly away into the sky, carrying wishes or messages.
- ✓As a verb, NOT like "grow" slowly, balloon means to grow very fast, like a balloon quickly filling with air.
- ✓NOT like "inflate" (just filling with air), balloon as a verb often means numbers or size increase fast and a lot.
- ✓NOT like "bubble" (small and fragile), balloons are bigger and can float or stay in the air.
Try Other Words
- •Inflate: to fill something with air or gas (Use when talking about filling objects with air, but not about fast growth)
- •Expand: to get bigger (Use when size grows slowly or steadily, not quickly or suddenly)
- •Rise: to go up (Use when focusing on movement upward, especially for floating balloons)
- •Increase: to become larger in number or amount (Use for general growth, especially with numbers or amounts)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: "balloon" (no prefix or suffix, whole word from one root)
- •Etymology: From French "ballon," meaning "large ball," originally from Italian "ballone," meaning "large ball" or "bubble"
- •Historical development: First used in English in the late 1500s to describe large inflated balls or air-filled objects; later used for flying devices and party decorations
- •Modern usage: Commonly used for party decorations (noun) and to describe fast growth or increase (verb)
Reflect & Connect
•How does the idea of a balloon help you understand things that grow quickly in size or number?
•Can you think of situations where something "balloons" in your life, like expenses or problems?
Fill in the blanks
1.The cost of the repairs ballooned ___ the unexpected damage to the car.
2.At the festival, children were excited to hold colorful balloons ___ the air.
3.His stress levels ballooned ___ the many tasks he had to finish quickly.
4.Unlike a normal ball, a balloon can ___ when you blow air into it.
5.The number of visitors to the website ballooned ___ the release of the new product.
6.She watched the balloon slowly ___ into the sky until it disappeared.
7.When the price ballooned, many people decided to ___ buying the product.