billow

[ bil-oh ]

noun

1. a great wave or surge of the sea.

   Synonyms: whitecap, roller, comber, breaker, swell

2. any surging mass:

   billows of smoke.

verb (used without object)

1. to rise or roll in or like billows; surge.
2. to swell out, puff up, etc., as by the action of wind:

   flags billowing in the breeze.

verb (used with object)

1. to make rise, surge, swell, or the like:

   A sudden wind billowed the tent alarmingly.

billow

/ ˈbɪləʊ /

noun

1. a large sea wave
2. a swelling or surging mass, as of smoke or sound
3. a large atmospheric wave, usually in the lee of a hill
4. poetic.
   plural the sea itself

verb

1. to rise up, swell out, or cause to rise up or swell out

Derived Forms

• ˈbillowing, adjectivenoun

Other Words From

• under·billow verb (used without object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of billow¹

First recorded in 1545–55; from Old Norse bylgja “wave,” cognate with Middle Low German bulge; akin to Old English gebylgan “to anger, provoke”

Word History and Origins

Origin of billow¹

C16: from Old Norse bylgja ; related to Swedish bōlja , Danish bölg , Middle High German bulge ; see bellow , belly

Example Sentences

I have just enough room in both shirts, but not so much that they billow unnecessarily out of my pants.

From Los Angeles Times

Renae Billow and her 11-year-old son and Trump impersonator, Gino Benford, were a few feet away from Lucie and Gino is clearly visible in the Reuters photo, complete with a blond wig and a dark suit.

From BBC

Just like the updrafts, this feeds the fire with fresh, oxygenated air; unlike updrafts, downbursts cause gusts that billow out away from the center of the fire, leading it to spread rapidly in multiple directions at once.

From Los Angeles Times

“I am crossing my fingers, we are OK for now,” said Pavelka as he watched smoke billow over the Santa Ana Mountains near the spot where he has lived for 20 years.

From Los Angeles Times

Intense pyrocumulonimbus plumes billow from the raging Park fire in Northern California.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• undulate