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
The sharp drop in tech shares came as worries about ballooning debt, high interest rates and rising oil prices all resurfaced. — Steve Kopack, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2026 Not surprisingly, the ballooning price of oil was the driving force behind the inflationary bump as the war in Iran rages on and energy exports remain tied up in the Strait of Hormuz. — Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2026 The president of the European Central Bank played down speculation about intervention in France’s ballooning budget crisis on Wednesday. — John Liu, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026 France’s challenges mounted as concerns over its ballooning debt weighed on economic activity and reverberated across Europe. — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 8 Oct. 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 20 Oct. 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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