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

Other Word Forms

• underbillow verb (used without object)
• billowing adjective

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

Under a blue sky and passing, billowing clouds, Mexico City sits in the far distance.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Israeli TV stations broadcast live footage said to be of the drone strike and the area it hit, which showed billowing smoke rising from the site.

Read more on BBC

Each explosion sends clouds of white smoke billowing into a light rain and then up through the trees.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

On Tuesday, crowds set fire to parliament in the capital Kathmandu, sending thick black smoke billowing into the sky.

Read more on BBC

A cellphone video he recorded shows a towering column of flame, taller than a nearby telephone pole, billowing and rippling.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• undulate