balloon
balloon — noun
1. a soft rubber bag that grows large and round when you blow air or a special ligh
a soft rubber bag that grows large and round when you blow air or a special light gas into it, often used at parties or as a toy for children.
Noa tied twenty pink balloons to the gate before her sister's birthday party.
tie + balloons to [object]
The clown gave each child a long balloon shaped like a dog.
balloon shaped like [noun]
One of the red balloons slipped from Mia's hand and floated into a tall oak tree.
Viraj blew up six green balloons and his cheeks turned red.
The little boy cried when his balloon popped on the sharp fence.
文法句型
blow up + a balloon
pop + a balloon
用法筆記
Almost always countable. Often appears with verbs of inflation (blow up, fill, inflate) and verbs of failure (pop, burst, deflate). The plural is common because balloons usually appear in groups at parties.
常見錯誤
2. a huge cloth bag that rises into the sky when warm air or special gas is pumped
a huge cloth bag that rises into the sky when warm air or special gas is pumped inside, with a basket beneath it where passengers can stand and ride.
We rode in a hot-air balloon over the temples of Bagan at sunrise.
ride in + a hot-air balloon
The pilot lit the burner and the balloon slowly climbed above the trees.
For her eightieth birthday, Wairimu's family booked her a sunrise balloon ride over Cappadocia.
Three hot-air balloons carrying tourists drifted above the valley as the pilots fired their burners.
Tourists pay around two hundred dollars for an hour-long ride in a balloon over Cappadocia.
- hot-air balloon
the more specific everyday term
- airship
a longer cigar-shaped craft with engines, not the same as a balloon
文法句型
go up in + a balloon
ride in + a balloon
用法筆記
Often appears as the compound 'hot-air balloon'. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense always involves a basket and human passengers, while sense 1 is a small toy. Common with verbs of motion (rise, drift, climb, land).
常見錯誤
3. in a comic strip or cartoon, the round bubble drawn beside a character's head th
in a comic strip or cartoon, the round bubble drawn beside a character's head that holds the words the character is saying or thinking.
Above Spider-Man's head, a balloon shows him whispering, 'Where did she go?'
a balloon + shows [text]
The artist drew a small balloon with the cat's silent thoughts inside it.
Mr. Hayes taught his second-graders to read each balloon aloud before turning the page.
Yuki left the final balloon empty so readers could imagine the character's reply.
- speech bubble
the most common everyday word, especially in British English
- speech balloon
the technical comics-industry term
文法句型
a balloon + above/over [character's head]
用法筆記
Often called a 'speech balloon' or 'thought balloon' to make the meaning clear. The shape of the tail (a sharp arrow vs. small bubbles) usually shows whether a character is speaking aloud or thinking silently.
balloon — verb
1. to become much larger or much more important very quickly, often in a way that s
to become much larger or much more important very quickly, often in a way that surprises or worries people.
The repair bill ballooned from two thousand to twelve thousand dollars in a week.
balloon from X to Y
Sales of the small electric car ballooned after the new tax break began.
Tomás's waistline ballooned during the long winter months at home.
The tiny book club has ballooned into a national reading group of fifty thousand members.
Hospital costs have ballooned to nearly twice the level of five years ago.
文法句型
balloon to + [number/amount]
balloon from X to Y
用法筆記
Usually carries a negative or surprised tone, especially with costs, debts, or weight. Frequently followed by 'to', 'into', or 'from … to …'. Distinguish from verb sense 2: sense 1 is figurative (numbers, scale), while sense 2 is physical swelling.
常見錯誤
2. of a physical object such as a sail, a cheek, or a piece of clothing, to swell o
of a physical object such as a sail, a cheek, or a piece of clothing, to swell outwards and form a round shape, usually because air or liquid is pushing it from inside.
The white sails ballooned out as the wind hit the small fishing boat.
balloon out
Her long skirt ballooned in the strong breeze on the cliff path.
The boy's cheeks ballooned as he tried to hold his breath under water.
The chef's white apron ballooned outwards each time the kitchen door swung open.
- deflate
the opposite, when air leaves and the shape collapses
文法句型
balloon out
balloon up
用法筆記
Typically intransitive and often paired with 'out'. Subjects are physical things that can hold air or fluid (sails, cheeks, fabric, plastic). Distinguish from verb sense 1: this sense is about visible, physical swelling; sense 1 is about abstract growth in numbers or size.
3. to ride through the sky inside the basket of a hot-air balloon, usually as a spo
to ride through the sky inside the basket of a hot-air balloon, usually as a sport or for sightseeing.
Every spring, dozens of pilots balloon across the desert near Albuquerque.
balloon across + [place]
The retired couple balloons over the vineyards of Napa most weekends in autumn.
balloon over + [landscape]
Captain Ortega has ballooned over the Alps, the Serengeti, and the Pyrenees in a single year.
The two friends planned to balloon from Lake Bled to the Austrian border.
- fly
the everyday word; 'fly in a balloon' is more natural for non-pilots
文法句型
balloon over/across + [place]
用法筆記
A specialist verb used mainly by pilots and aviation enthusiasts; ordinary speakers say 'go up in a balloon' or 'take a balloon ride'. Subject is usually a person or group; followed by 'over', 'across', or 'in' plus a place name.
常見錯誤
balloon — adjective
1. describing something that looks like a balloon or behaves like one — typically r
describing something that looks like a balloon or behaves like one — typically round, puffy, or able to swell with air.
The actress wore a wide balloon skirt that bounced with every step on stage.
balloon + [clothing noun]
Sofia's wedding dress had long balloon sleeves trimmed with tiny pearl buttons.
balloon sleeves (collocation)
The pastry chef piped cream into delicate balloon shapes on top of each cupcake.
The toddler liked his new balloon trousers because the legs puffed out at the knee.
- puffy
more general; works both before and after a noun
- balloon-shaped
use this when you need to place the word after 'be'
- fitted
the opposite for clothing — close to the body rather than puffed out
文法句型
balloon + [noun]
用法筆記
Almost always used before a noun (attributive), not after a verb like 'be'. Most common in fashion vocabulary: 'balloon sleeves', 'balloon skirt', 'balloon trousers'. Avoid 'the dress is balloon' — say 'the dress is balloon-shaped' instead.