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View synonyms for

billow

[ bil-oh ]

noun

  1. a great wave or surge of the sea.

    Synonyms: , , , ,

  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

/ ˈɪəʊ /

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
“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

verb

  1. to rise up, swell out, or cause to rise up or swell out
“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
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Derived Forms

  • ˈǷɾԲ, adjectivenoun
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Other Word Forms

  • ܲd·lǷ verb (used without object)
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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”
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Word History and Origins

Origin of billow1

C16: from Old Norse bylgja ; related to Swedish ōᲹ , Danish ö , Middle High German bulge ; see bellow , belly
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Al-Natour spoke to us from the shattered remains of his city, the flimsy canvas side of the tent which now forms part of his house billowing behind him.

From

An enormous cloud of gulls billowed and swooped around the charred waste.

From

Videos shared on social media showed tall flames and plumes of smoke billowing from the substation overnight.

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Emergency services were first called to the scene at 23:23 on Thursday, and video shared on social media showed tall flames and smoke billowing from the substation overnight.

From

Passengers on an American Airlines flight were evacuated onto the tarmac of a Colorado airport as a fire broke out on the plane, sending smoke billowing into the air.

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