balloon

CEFRA2

/bəˈluːn/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A light rubber bag that becomes larger when filled with air or gas.

  2. 02

    verb

    To increase or become larger very quickly.

Examples

  • A balloon is ascending into the sky.

  • That balloon will burst if you blow it up any more.

At a glance

Sits at A2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • /bəˈlun/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. Such an object as a child’s toy or party decoration.

  2. An inflatable buoyant object, often (but not necessarily) round and flexible.

  3. Such an object designed to transport people or equipment through the air.

More examples

In context

  • The balloon descended gradually as the air came out.

  • His stomach ballooned from eating such a large meal.

  • Prices will balloon if we don't act quickly.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The child let go of the red blank and watched it float away.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

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.