balloon
/bəˈluːn/ (bre, ipa) · /bəˈluːn/ (ame, ipa) · /bə-ˈlün/ (ame, mw)
balloon — 名詞
1. a soft rubber bag that grows large and round when you blow air or a special ligh
氣球
派對或玩具用的橡膠充氣球
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.
Noa 在妹妹生日派對前，把二十顆粉紅氣球綁在大門上。
tie + balloons to [object]
The clown gave each child a long balloon shaped like a dog.
小丑送給每個小朋友一條塑成小狗形狀的長氣球。
balloon shaped like [noun]
One of the red balloons slipped from Mia's hand and floated into a tall oak tree.
其中一顆紅氣球從 Mia 手裡溜走，飄進一棵高大的橡樹裡。
Viraj blew up six green balloons and his cheeks turned red.
Viraj 吹了六顆綠氣球，臉頰都漲紅了。
The little boy cried when his balloon popped on the sharp fence.
氣球被尖尖的圍欄戳破時，那個小男孩當場大哭。
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
熱氣球
下方掛吊籃，可載人升空的大型氣球
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.
我們搭熱氣球，在日出時飛越蒲甘的眾多佛塔。
ride in + a hot-air balloon
The pilot lit the burner and the balloon slowly climbed above the trees.
駕駛員點燃噴火器，熱氣球便緩緩升到樹梢上方。
For her eightieth birthday, Wairimu's family booked her a sunrise balloon ride over Cappadocia.
為了慶祝 Wairimu 八十大壽，家人為她預訂了卡帕多奇亞的日出熱氣球之旅。
Three hot-air balloons carrying tourists drifted above the valley as the pilots fired their burners.
三顆載著遊客的熱氣球在山谷上方飄浮，駕駛員不時點燃噴火器。
Tourists pay around two hundred dollars for an hour-long ride in a balloon over Cappadocia.
在卡帕多奇亞，遊客大約花兩百美元就能搭熱氣球飛行一小時。
- 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
對話泡泡
漫畫中框住角色說話或想法的圓框
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?'
Spider-Man 頭上方有一個對話框，寫著他低聲說：「她跑去哪裡了？」
a balloon + shows [text]
The artist drew a small balloon with the cat's silent thoughts inside it.
畫家畫了一個小小的對話框，把那隻貓沒說出口的想法寫在裡面。
Mr. Hayes taught his second-graders to read each balloon aloud before turning the page.
Mr. Hayes 教二年級學生在翻頁前，先把每一個對話框大聲念出來。
Yuki left the final balloon empty so readers could imagine the character's reply.
Yuki 刻意把最後一個對話框留白，讓讀者自己想像角色會怎麼回應。
- 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 — 動詞
1. to become much larger or much more important very quickly, often in a way that s
暴增；激增
規模或數字快速擴大
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.
修車費在一週內從兩千美元暴增到一萬兩千美元。
balloon from X to Y
Sales of the small electric car ballooned after the new tax break began.
新的稅務優惠一上路，這款小型電動車的銷量隨之激增。
Tomás's waistline ballooned during the long winter months at home.
整個冬天待在家，Tomás 的腰圍迅速變胖了一大圈。
The tiny book club has ballooned into a national reading group of fifty thousand members.
這個小小讀書會，一路擴張成擁有五萬名會員的全國性閱讀社團。
Hospital costs have ballooned to nearly twice the level of five years ago.
醫療費用已經暴增到五年前的將近兩倍。
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
鼓起；脹起
因內部空氣或液體而向外膨脹成圓形
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.
風一打到那艘小漁船，白色的船帆立刻鼓得圓鼓鼓的。
balloon out
Her long skirt ballooned in the strong breeze on the cliff path.
在懸崖步道的強風中，她的長裙被吹得整個鼓了起來。
The boy's cheeks ballooned as he tried to hold his breath under water.
那個男孩試著在水裡憋氣，兩邊臉頰都鼓得圓滾滾的。
The chef's white apron ballooned outwards each time the kitchen door swung open.
每次廚房的門被推開，主廚的白色圍裙就會向外鼓起來。
- 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
搭熱氣球
乘坐熱氣球飛行（多為運動或觀光）
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.
每年春天，都有數十位飛行員搭熱氣球橫越 Albuquerque 附近的沙漠。
balloon across + [place]
The retired couple balloons over the vineyards of Napa most weekends in autumn.
那對退休夫妻幾乎每個秋天週末，都會搭熱氣球飛越 Napa 的葡萄園。
balloon over + [landscape]
Captain Ortega has ballooned over the Alps, the Serengeti, and the Pyrenees in a single year.
Captain Ortega 一年內就搭熱氣球飛越了阿爾卑斯山、塞倫蓋蒂與庇里牛斯山。
The two friends planned to balloon from Lake Bled to the Austrian border.
這兩位朋友計劃搭熱氣球從 Lake Bled 一路飛到奧地利邊境。
- 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 — 形容詞
1. describing something that looks like a balloon or behaves like one — typically r
氣球狀的
外型蓬鬆圓鼓，像氣球一樣
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.
那位女演員穿著寬大的氣球裙，走上舞台每一步裙襬都晃動。
balloon + [clothing noun]
Sofia's wedding dress had long balloon sleeves trimmed with tiny pearl buttons.
Sofia 的婚紗有著長長的氣球袖，袖口還綴著一顆顆小珍珠鈕扣。
balloon sleeves (collocation)
The pastry chef piped cream into delicate balloon shapes on top of each cupcake.
甜點師傅在每個杯子蛋糕上方，擠出一朵朵精緻的氣球狀奶油。
The toddler liked his new balloon trousers because the legs puffed out at the knee.
那個小男孩很喜歡新買的氣球褲，因為褲管在膝蓋處鼓起來。
- 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.