billow

American  

[bil-oh] / ˈbɪl oʊ /

noun

1. a great wave or surge of the sea.

   Synonyms:

   whitecap, roller, comber, breaker, swell

2. any surging mass.

   billows of smoke.

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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 British  

/ 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

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verb

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

Other Word Forms

• billowing adjective
• underbillow verb (used without object)

Etymology

Origin of billow

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

Example Sentences

I loved watching the fallen leaves billow up from the road in great whirling circles as I drove by.

From The Wall Street Journal

Here the banners are rendered with the utmost economy, pared down to billowing blocks of color that seem to float above the road below, dwarfing the pointillist pedestrians who stroll beneath them.

From The Wall Street Journal

She walked towards it and eventually found smoke billowing out of the tumble dryer.

From BBC

Up to 21 fire engines were at the scene by about 12:30 GMT, the fire service said, as thick black smoke billowed from the blaze.

From BBC

I plopped down on the dusty trunk and watched them walk away, Aunt Kitty in her severe gray gown, Mrs. Maroney in her fashionable scarlet one with wide skirts billowing around her.

From Literature

Related Words

• undulate