lead balloon

noun

A failure, especially something that fails to have the intended resonance with an audience.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounlead balloon (plural lead balloons)

plural lead balloons

  1. A failure, especially something that fails to have the intended resonance with an audience.

    He does it because it establishes the primary deniability of "I was just trolling" when his lead balloons fail to go over

    2025 May 3, @itazurakko999, X
    1 more example

    After the collusion story proved a bust, there was an attempt to blow some life into the obstruction of justice charge. But that was a lead balloon with the American people.

    2019 November 17, Robert Robb, “Trump wants Republicans to defend him. But it's hard to defend the indefensible”, in The Arizona Republic

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
edsel

Origin

From go down like a lead balloon and similar expressions.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

lead balloon. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lead%20balloon

MLA

“lead balloon.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lead%20balloon. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lead balloon,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lead%20balloon.

Source: lead balloon on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.