balloon tire

noun

1. a broad tire filled with air at low pressure for cushioning the shock of uneven surfaces: used on road vehicles such as bicycles and early automobiles.

Word History and Origins

Origin of balloon tire¹

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

The pièces de résistance are the tires: enormous white Thick Bricks, a good deal bigger than the average balloon tire and a lot more eye-catching.

From Slate

At first the destroyer saw nothing more than the flotsam of defeat�empty gasoline cans, a soldier's kitbag floating, part of the landing gear of a German transport plane held up by a bloated balloon tire, a rubber raft on which a dead Nazi airman lay.

From Time Magazine Archive

Hallelujah, I'm a Bum can be regarded, like so many other Hollywood products by distinguished collaborators, as one more balloon tire with a blowout.

From Time Magazine Archive

Firestone brought out a low-pressure "super balloon tire", U.S.

From Time Magazine Archive