ballooning

1 of 2

noun

bal·​loon·​ing bə-ˈlü-niŋ How to pronounce ballooning (audio)
Synonyms of ballooningnext
: the act or sport of riding in a balloon

ballooning

2 of 2

present participle of balloon entry 3

Examples of ballooning in a Sentence

Noun She's always wanted to go ballooning.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Senegal, which faces tight budgetary constraints due to ballooning debt, has spent nearly all of its full-year allocation for fuel subsidies already. — Paige Bruton, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026 Projections from investment banks show the increase ballooning over the next few years. — Tobias Burns, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026 It was supposed to be 40, but amid a ballooning budget, the city of Sacramento reduced the project to stay under the threshold that would give City Council the power to stop it. — Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 27 Aug. 2026 The yield surge is largely a result of mounting investor concerns about persistent US inflation and ballooning government debt, as well as competition from corporate AI-buildout debt that is sapping demand for Treasuries. — Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ballooning

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1784, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ballooning was in 1784

Rhymes for ballooning

See All Rhymes for ballooning

Browse Nearby Words

balloon frame
ballooning
balloonist
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ballooning.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ballooning. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on ballooning

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for ballooning

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ballooning

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