1
as in increasing
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number
the number of students who stay home sick balloons every winter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in protruding
to extend outward beyond a usual point
the paper bag ballooned and blew away as the wind lifted it skyward
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in dilating
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in soaring
Related Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of ballooning
Alexander Gabuev, Foreign Affairs, 26 Aug. 2025
Debates surrounding its future intensified in the 2000s, as DFW’s ballooning population laid bare the long-term inadequacies of its water reserves.
—Eleanor Dearman
updated August 15, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Aug. 2025
Samantha Subin, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2025
Rising mortgage rates have further burdened buyers, with monthly payments ballooning beyond reach for many.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ballooning
Adjective
The most visible sign of this is the country’s ballooning budget deficit.
—Alexander Gabuev, Foreign Affairs, 26 Aug. 2025
Debates surrounding its future intensified in the 2000s, as DFW’s ballooning population laid bare the long-term inadequacies of its water reserves.
—Eleanor Dearman
updated August 15, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Aug. 2025
Noun
Friar also called attention to compute constraints caused by ballooning AI demands, which have led the company to go beyond its partnership with Microsoft and reach deals with Oracle, Coreweave and others.
—Samantha Subin, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2025
Rising mortgage rates have further burdened buyers, with monthly payments ballooning beyond reach for many.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ballooning
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ballooning
Verb
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By inserting an extra biochemical cycle into a model plant, the researchers boosted growth, seed yield, and fat production without increasing water demand.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Sep. 2025
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An increasing number of boys are lonely, isolated and confused, wrestling with the aftermath of the #MeToo movement and the expectations of rigid masculinity, which has been widely characterized as toxic.—
Don Riddell,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Sharks are often imagined cruising just beneath the waves, dorsal fin protruding from the dark, ocean waters to alert people of their incoming doom.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
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Eventually, the villager spotted something unexpected—the nearly complete cranium of an unknown, ancient hominin protruding from a small chamber’s interior wall.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Last week, Oracle surprised Wall Street with a massive $300 billion deal with OpenAI, a five-year deal that helped send Oracle’s stock soaring—and brought simmering fears of an ‘AI bubble’ back to the surface.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
16 Sep. 2025
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Investors lapped it up, sending the stock soaring.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Both the governor and the secretary listed a combination of lower market prices for farm products plus rising fertilizer, machinery and labor costs as a severe squeeze on the farm economy.—
Cristina LaRue,
Arkansas Online,
16 Sep. 2025
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China’s economy showed further signs of weakness last month, with key data Monday revealing factory output and consumption rising at their weakest pace for around a year.—
Nino Paoli,
Fortune,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In 2009, Tropicana replaced its familiar logo, an orange with a straw poking out, with a minimalist design featuring a glass of orange juice.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025
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Routh allegedly came within a few hundred yards of Trump before a Secret Service agent spotted his rifle poking out of a tree line.—
Nadine El-Bawab,
ABC News,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The photo clearly shows the feline's dilated pupils and ears backward, which is exactly what cats look like when mad.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Aug. 2025
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Meanwhile, Angelo’s crooked corset, Joan’s shredded gown, and team leader Ethan’s bizarre jumpsuit — which reminds Law of a dilated cervix — end up on the bottom.—
Claire Franken,
TVLine,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The team showed that this gliding persists down to –15 degree Celsius, setting a new benchmark for cellular motility in complex, nucleus-bearing organisms.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Sep. 2025
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Five-foot-10 and 170 pounds in his prime, Rondell was known for his daring diving, gymnastic and hang-gliding skills.—
Mike Barnes,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The audio-streaming platform has amassed a sizable free cash flow due to its strong revenue growth, a figure that has been boosted by the company's swelling active user base in recent financial quarters.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
12 Sep. 2025
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For this test, a doctor inserts a gloved, lubricated finger into your rectum to feel for swelling, bleeding, and any prostate abnormalities.—
Mark Gurarie,
Health,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ballooning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ballooning. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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