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

The flames sent smoke billowing above the nearby industrial area of Challenger Way.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He rushed home from work to find the 31-storey building in flames, with black smoke billowing out of it.

Read more on BBC

Pictures show several buildings ablaze, and thick smoke billowing into the air, dominating Hong Kong's skyline.

Read more on BBC

An AFP reporter heard loud cracking sounds, possibly from the burning bamboo, and saw thick plumes of smoke billowing from at least four buildings as flames and ash reached high into the sky.

Read more on Barron's

A plume of smoke billowed from the crash site as emergency vehicles sped towards it.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• undulate