trial balloon
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trial balloon
- /ˌtɹaɪəl bəˈluːn/ UK
- /ˌtɹaɪəl bəˈlun/ US
Rhymes with -uːn
Where it comes from
Calque of French ballon d’essai (“small balloon released into the sky to determine the direction and tendency of winds in the upper air before a manned ascent in a larger balloon; (figuratively) prospective action to test acceptance”): ballon (“balloon”), essai (“trial, try; assay”).
noun trial balloons · trial-balloon
- A small balloon released into the sky to determine the direction and tendency of winds in the upper air before a manned ascent in a larger balloon; a ballon d'essai. For many weeks in succession the little trial balloons thrown up to show the course of the wind were driven back upon the shores of France.
-
An idea, suggestion, or prospective action, product, etc., offered to an audience or group in order to test whether it generates acceptance or interest.
"The originality of the plan and views of the author [Jean Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent], and, above all, the perfect independence of its execution," are, according to the narrator in the Bulletin, the chief features of this new production; and the summary sketch of it which has been published, is
Similar: ballon d'essai, feeler
Translations
Every language
noun small balloon released into the sky to determine the direction and tendency of winds
| Português | balão de ensaio |
|---|---|
| Français | ballon d'essai |
noun idea, suggestion, etc., offered to test whether it generates acceptance or interest
| 日本語 | 観測気球 kansoku kikyū |
|---|---|
| Français | ballon d'essai |
| Deutsch | Versuchsballon |
| Italiano | notizia sonda |
| Русский | про́бный шар próbnyj šar, зонда́ж zondáž |
| עברית | בָּלוֹן נִסּוּי balon nisuy |
Talk about this word "trial balloon." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/trial%20balloon. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. trial balloon. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/trial%20balloon "trial balloon." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/trial%20balloon.Cite this
@misc{trial_balloon_2026,
title = {trial balloon},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/trial%20balloon},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
