swell

American  

[swel] / swɛl /

verb (used without object)

• swells,
  present (3rd person singular)
• swelled,
  past participle,  past
• swollen,
  past participle
• swelling
  present participle

1. to grow in bulk, as by the absorption of moisture or the processes of growth.

   Synonyms:

   expand, distend

   Antonyms:

   contract

2. Pathology. to increase abnormally in size, as by inflation, distention, accumulation of fluids, or the like.

   Her ankles swelled from standing.

3. to rise in waves, as the sea.

4. to well up, as a spring or as tears.

5. to bulge out, as a sail or the middle of a cask.

   Synonyms:

   protrude

6. to grow in amount, degree, force, etc.

7. to increase gradually in volume or intensity, as sound.

   The music swelled.

8. to arise and grow within one, as a feeling or emotion.

9. to become puffed up with pride.

---

verb (used with object)

• swells,
  present (3rd person singular)
• swelled,
  past participle,  past
• swollen,
  past participle
• swelling
  present participle

1. to cause to grow in bulk.

   Synonyms:

   expand, inflate

2. to cause to increase gradually in loudness.

   to swell a musical tone.

3. to cause (a thing) to bulge out or be protuberant.

4. to increase in amount, degree, force, etc.

   Antonyms:

   diminish, decrease

5. to affect with a strong, expansive emotion.

6. to puff up with pride.

noun

• swells
  plural

1. the act of swelling or the condition of being swollen.

2. inflation or distention.

   Synonyms:

   swelling

3. a protuberant part.

   Synonyms:

   bulge

4. a wave, especially when long and unbroken, or a series of such waves.

   Synonyms:

   billow

5. a gradually rising elevation of the land.

6. an increase in amount, degree, force, etc.

7. a gradual increase in loudness of sound.

8. Music.

   1. a gradual increase (crescendo) followed by a gradual decrease (diminuendo) in loudness or force of musical sound.

   2. the sign (< >) for indicating this.

   3. a device, as in an organ, by which the loudness of tones may be varied.

9. a swelling of emotion within one.

10. Slang.

    1. a fashionably dressed person; dandy.

    2. a socially prominent person.

adjective

Informal.

1. (of things) stylish; elegant.

   a swell hotel.

2. (of persons) fashionably dressed or socially prominent.

   Synonyms:

   grand

3. first-rate; fine.

   a swell party.

   Synonyms:

   grand

swell British  

/ swɛl /

verb

1. to grow or cause to grow in size, esp as a result of internal pressure Compare contract contract

2. to expand or cause to expand at a particular point or above the surrounding level; protrude

3. to grow or cause to grow in size, amount, intensity, or degree

   the party is swelling with new recruits

4. to puff or be puffed up with pride or another emotion

5. (intr) (of seas or lakes) to rise in waves

6. (intr) to well up or overflow

7. (tr) to make (a musical phrase) increase gradually in volume and then diminish

---

noun

1. 1. the undulating movement of the surface of the open sea

   2. a succession of waves or a single large wave

2. a swelling or being swollen; expansion

3. an increase in quantity or degree; inflation

4. a bulge; protuberance

5. a gentle hill

6. informal a person very fashionably dressed

7. informal a man of high social or political standing

8. music a crescendo followed by an immediate diminuendo

9. Also called: swell organ.  music

   1. a set of pipes on an organ housed in a box ( swell box ) fitted with a shutter operated by a pedal, which can be opened or closed to control the volume

   2. the manual on an organ controlling this Compare choir great

adjective

1. informal stylish or grand

2. slang excellent; first-class

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• underswell
  noun
• reswell
  verb
• underswell
  verb (used without object)
• unswelled
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• swells
  plural

Participles

• swelling
  present
• swelled
  past
• swollen
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• swell
  simple
• swells
  simple
• have swelled
  perfect
• have swollen
  perfect
• has swelled
  perfect
• has swollen
  perfect
• am swelling
  progressive
• are swelling
  progressive
• is swelling
  progressive
• have been swelling
  perfect progressive
• has been swelling
  perfect progressive

Past

• swelled
  simple
• had swelled
  perfect
• had swollen
  perfect
• was swelling
  progressive
• were swelling
  progressive
• had been swelling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will swell
  simple
• will have swelled
  perfect
• will have swollen
  perfect
• will be swelling
  progressive
• will have been swelling
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of swell

First recorded before 900; Middle English swellen (verb), Old English swellan; cognate with Dutch zwellen, German schwellen, Old Norse svella; akin to Gothic ufswalleins “pride”

Explanation

To swell is to expand or grow larger. If your brother's face started to swell after he ate lobster for the first time, you'd probably guess that he's allergic to shellfish. You can use the word swell to describe what happens to an injured body part, like a black eye that swells up, or in a figurative way, to describe a feeling of fullness, like when your heart swells with pride at your sister's big music performance. In the 1930s, swell became a popular slang term meaning "great" or "excellent." But it also can describe a wealthy, elegant person, like a group of swells at a fancy restaurant.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

swell swells swelled swollen swelling

Houghton-Gilmour added the requests she sent out had created a swell of "misleading" positive noise on social media around the upcoming opening.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

Three hours into the tour, investigators alleged Hernandez-Umana attempted to speed through swell during a U-turn and swamped the bow.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

When federal deficits swell, governments tends to issue debt to fund the spending.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026

"It's been happening for a while, ever since the sheer impact and influence of gaming, particularly on young fans," says Kirkham, who remembers a swell of support for Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

There is a swell of voices, feet thumping, trays stacking, and trash tumbling as everyone heads outside to run around.

From "Muffled" by Jennifer Gennari

A series of powerful hurricane-driven swells have surfaced forgotten remnants of Newport Beach’s infrastructure that lay buried beneath sand and water for many decades.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

Press coverage swells with glowing profiles of landowners who turned down offers from developers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Tropical swells generated by Hurricanes Elida, Fausto and Genevieve off Mexico have been slamming the shore for two weeks.

From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026

Condos are becoming cheaper as inventory swells — but experts warn that the list price doesn’t paint the full picture.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026

"Sophia, this is ridiculous," he protests, and my heart swells.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton

That’s 28 miles as the crow flies, but our route, with a detour for lunch in Cuyama, swelled the journey to more than 100 miles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Two days later, the Dikhow and Mitong spilled into surrounding areas as the Brahmaputra and its tributaries swelled rapidly.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

Additionally, even though Pochettino is a South American who came to the U.S. via Europe’s top soccer leagues, he fully embraced the American pride that swelled at the tournament.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

Inventory on the balance sheet swelled to $11.1 billion last quarter, nearly doubling from a year before.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026

The numbers swelled: in 1944 alone, nearly 500,000 men, women, and children were transported to Auschwitz.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Reiner pointed to “a variety of physical ailments” that are “easy to see,” including bruised hands, swollen legs and an inability to stay awake.

From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026

Another had a swollen knee and was struggling to walk.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

In response, the “Bandit” singer recalled the moment when a doctor told him the left side of his heart was swollen.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

This has been swollen by refugees since the coup.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

Her swollen gums hurt so much that she couldn’t chew.

From "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes" by Eleanor Coerr

Repeated inflammation causes swelling and can eventually damage the joints.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026

Ohtani hasn’t pitched since July 3 against the San Diego Padres, managing swelling and discomfort in his left knee.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

Just days after the birth, she began to suffer severe pain and swelling in her abdomen but says her symptoms were downplayed.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

Both Super Micro and CoreWeave pointed to swelling backlogs reflecting ongoing customer demand for AI hardware.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

She’s wearing compression socks to help with the recent swelling in her knee, and they are soaked, too, and so is her shirt and shorts and pack and even her shoes.

From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti

Related Words

• accumulate
• add to
• balloon
• bloat
• bulge
• enlarge
• expand
• fatten
• grow
• increase
• mount
• rise
• surge