Definition of "ballooned" []

• Simple past tense and past participle of balloon. (verb)

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• "The margin ballooned to 40-16 early in the second quarter."
• "The verb ballooned is inspired, suggesting, as it does, puffed-up-ness and hot air; after all, it’s not the man’s worth that has expanded, but merely his sense of that worth (at least in the eyes of his observer)."
• "The state originally estimated that it would cost only about $80,000 extra per retiree, but after legislators added all the union-demanded sweeteners, that price tag ballooned to $200,000."