ballooning

noun

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

Examples of ballooning in a Sentence

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.
Arguments against defense spending increases often cite the ballooning of the national debt—but even though the debt is unquestionably a problem, defense spending is not its primary cause: entitlement programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are. Kori Schake, Foreign Affairs, 8 Nov. 2024 Notable investors such as Paul Tudor Jones have become worried about the ballooning fiscal deficit and that neither of the two presidential candidates squaring off next week in the election will cut spending to address it. Yun Li, CNBC, 2 Nov. 2024 Last year, the rating agency Fitch Ratings downgraded U.S. credit for the second time in the nation's history, citing the ballooning U.S. debt load and a weakening of governance, as well as the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, as factors in their decision. Max Zahn, ABC News, 31 Oct. 2024 In the summer of 2009, Mayo Clinic leaders voiced strong opposition to the creation of a public option, which advocates say would have helped pull down the ballooning price of both health care treatments and insurance. Max Nesterak, ProPublica, 31 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ballooning 

Word History

First Known Use

1784, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ballooning was in 1784

Dictionary Entries Near ballooning

Cite this Entry

“Ballooning.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ballooning. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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