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

A few people stood outside their beach homes glancing at the smoke billowing from the mountains.

From Los Angeles Times

Within a minute, another shell struck the Al-Jazeera car, and it erupted in gassy, billowing flames.

From New York Times

The video was posted under the headline “#Breaking News Fire in Downtown High-Rise. Flames and smoke are billowing from the top floors of the structure. Avoid the area.”

From Los Angeles Times

The McWaids rushed to the garage, but as Ken McWaid opened the garage door, thick black smoke billowed in and hot embers singed his skin.

From Los Angeles Times

On Friday morning, a pair of sheriff’s deputies scrambled up a hillside in Camarillo Heights after residents noticed smoke billowing out of dense brush.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• undulate