Phrase guide

balloon goes up

phrase · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • bə-lo͞on′ gōz ŭp′
  • Received-Pronunciation: /bəˌluːn ɡəʊ̯z ˈʌp/
  • Canada, General-American: /bəˌlun ɡoʊ̯z ˈʌp/
  • Australian: /bəˌlʉːn ɡəʉ̯z ˈɐp/
  • AuE Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • New-Zealand: /bəˌlʉːn ɡɐʉ̯z ˈɐp/
  • Scotland: /bəˌlʉn ɡoz ˈʌp/
  • India: /baˌluːn ɡoːz ˈəp/

1

phrase

Meaning 1

Something exciting, risky, or troublesome begins.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

Examples

  • — When is your job interview? — The balloon goes up at 10 tomorrow.
  • For quotations using this term, see Citations:balloon goes up.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

phrase

Meaning 2

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see balloon, go, up.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Probably from the releasing of a balloon as a signal for an event to begin, possibly popularized by the use of balloons by the British Army during World War I (1914–1918) as a signal for artillery fire to commence.

Across languages

Translations

1 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: h-hetki on — something exciting, risky, or troublesome begins