swell

[ swel ]

/ swɛl /

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verb (used without object), swelled, swol·len or swelled, swell·ing.

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

Pathology. to increase abnormally in size, as by inflation, distention, accumulation of fluids, or the like: Her ankles swelled from standing.

to rise in waves, as the sea.

to well up, as a spring or as tears.

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

to grow in amount, degree, force, etc.

to increase gradually in volume or intensity, as sound: The music swelled.

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

to become puffed up with pride.

verb (used with object), swelled, swol·len or swelled, swell·ing.

to cause to grow in bulk.

to cause to increase gradually in loudness: to swell a musical tone.

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

to increase in amount, degree, force, etc.

to affect with a strong, expansive emotion.

to puff up with pride.

noun

the act of swelling or the condition of being swollen.

inflation or distention.

a protuberant part.

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

a gradually rising elevation of the land.

an increase in amount, degree, force, etc.

a gradual increase in loudness of sound.

Music.

a gradual increase (crescendo) followed by a gradual decrease (diminuendo) in loudness or force of musical sound.
the sign (< >) for indicating this.
a device, as in an organ, by which the loudness of tones may be varied.

a swelling of emotion within one.

Slang.

a fashionably dressed person; dandy.
a socially prominent person.

adjective Informal.

(of things) stylish; elegant: a swell hotel.

(of persons) fashionably dressed or socially prominent.

first-rate; fine: a swell party.

Nearby words

sweetveld, sweetwater, sweetwort, sweir, swelinck, swell, swell box, swell front, swelled head, swelled head, have a, swelled-headed

Origin of swell

before 900; Middle English swellen (v.), Old English swellan; cognate with Dutch zwellen, German schwellen, Old Norse svella; akin to Gothic ufswalleins pride

SYNONYMS FOR swell

1 distend, expand.

5 protrude.

10 inflate, expand.

17 swelling.

18 bulge.

19 billow.

27, 28 grand.

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ANTONYMS FOR swell

1 contract.

13 decrease, diminish.

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Related formsre·swell, verb, re·swelled, re·swelled or re·swol·len, re·swell·ing.un·der·swell, verb (used without object), un·der·swelled, un·der·swelled or un·der·swol·len, un·der·swell·ing.un·der·swell, nounun·swelled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for swelled

Thereafter, the 1960s swelled with political zeal and social unrest.
A History of Paris in 150 Photographs|Sarah Moroz|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The crowd of journalists that had swelled to its largest number.
An Uneasy Peace Falls on Ferguson after Local Cops Called Off|Justin Glawe|August 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The crowd of journalists that has swelled to its largest number.
Ferguson on Edge Again as Night Falls|Justin Glawe|August 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In recent weeks, the size of these groups has swelled to up to 100.
Hundreds of Immigrants Are Rushing the Border Just to Get Caught|Caitlin Dickson|July 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The number who feel lower class has swelled from 25% in 2008 to an almost doubled 49% in 2014 according to CNN.
Is Crowdsourced Labor the Future of Middle Class Employment?|Sarah Kunst|March 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The arc of light became an arch and then a crescent, and swelled even as he looked.
Operation: Outer Space|William Fitzgerald Jenkins
The commotions in the Highlands, during the civil wars, swelled the number to greater proportions.
An Historical Account of the Settlements of Scotch Highlanders in America|J. P. MacLean
As he watched, it swelled visibly, the pink folds becoming a deeper shade.
The Forgotten Planet|Murray Leinster
She was a foine-lukin woman, an now her eyes is all swelled up, an her nose the color of an ould toper.
In Wild Rose Time|Amanda M. Douglas
It swelled all my head to that degree that I could not bear even a pillow.
The Autobiography of Madame Guyon|Jeanne Marie Bouvier de La Motte Guyon

British Dictionary definitions for swelled

swell

/ (swɛl) /

verb swells, swelling, swelled, swollen or swelled

to grow or cause to grow in size, esp as a result of internal pressureCompare contract (def. 1), contract (def. 3)

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

to grow or cause to grow in size, amount, intensity, or degreethe party is swelling with new recruits

to puff or be puffed up with pride or another emotion

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

(intr) to well up or overflow

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

noun

the undulating movement of the surface of the open sea
a succession of waves or a single large wave

a swelling or being swollen; expansion

an increase in quantity or degree; inflation

a bulge; protuberance

a gentle hill

informal a person very fashionably dressed

informal a man of high social or political standing

music a crescendo followed by an immediate diminuendo

Also called: swell organ music

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
the manual on an organ controlling thisCompare choir (def. 4), great (def. 21)

adjective

informal stylish or grand

slang excellent; first-class

Word Origin for swell

Old English swellan; related to Old Norse svella, Old Frisian swella, German schwellen

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for swelled (1 of 2)

swell

Old English swellan "grow or make bigger" (past tense sweall, past participle swollen), from Proto-Germanic *swelnanan (cf. Old Saxon swellan, Old Norse svella, Old Frisian swella, Middle Dutch swellen, Dutch zwellen, Old High German swellan, German schwellen), of unknown origin.

Word Origin and History for swelled (1 of 2)

swell

early 13c., "a morbid swelling," from swell (v.). In reference to a rise of the sea, it is attested from c.1600. The meaning "wealthy, elegant person" is first recorded 1786; hence the adjectival meaning "fashionably dressed or equipped" (1810), both from the notion of "puffed-up, pompous" behavior. The sense of "good, excellent" first occurs 1897, and as a stand-alone expression of satisfaction it is recorded from 1930 in American English.

swell

verb (used without object), swelled, swol·len or swelled, swell·ing.

verb (used with object), swelled, swol·len or swelled, swell·ing.

noun

adjective Informal.

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Origin of swell

Examples from the Web for swelled

British Dictionary definitions for swelled

swell

verb swells, swelling, swelled, swollen or swelled

noun

adjective

Word Origin for swell

Word Origin and History for swelled (1 of 2)

swell

Word Origin and History for swelled (1 of 2)

swell