[
UK
/swˈɛl/
]
[ US /ˈswɛɫ/ ]
[ US /ˈswɛɫ/ ]
VERB
-
come up (as of feelings and thoughts, or other ephemeral things)
Smoke swelled from it
Strong emotions welled up -
increase in size, magnitude, number, or intensity
The music swelled to a crescendo -
cause to become swollen
The water swells the wood -
become filled with pride, arrogance, or anger
The mother was swelling with importance when she spoke of her son -
come up, as of a liquid
the currents well up
Tears well in her eyes -
expand abnormally
The bellies of the starving children are swelling
NOUN
- a rounded elevation (especially one on an ocean floor)
- a man who is much concerned with his dress and appearance
- a crescendo followed by a decrescendo
- the undulating movement of the surface of the open sea
ADJECTIVE
-
very good
you look simply smashing
we had a grand old time
a neat sports car
had a great time at the party
he did a bully job
How To Use swell In A Sentence
- Beard is rather dismissive of their optical sophistication, shown in the curvature of the stylobate and in the entasis of the columns — the slight outward swelling of a column designed to counter the optical illusion of concavity, were the columns 'sides to be perfectly straight. Looking for the Lost Greeks
- Sefelt has pulled back halfway normal, swelling up and down with big wet, rattling breaths.
- It will be wormed throughout, and parcelled in the wake of the housing-bolt and frapping lashing, and where there is no swell, in the wake of the muzzle-ring. Ordnance Instructions for the United States Navy. 1866. Fourth edition.
- Swelling and bloating are often less troublesome if you avoid adding extra salt to food and steer clear of smoked meats and ready-cooked meals. The Sun
- These build and swell into clouds, suddenly breaking apart and dispersing unexpectedly.
- Also well known is hydrophobia, literally ‘fear of water ‘, as a name for rabies, which sometimes appears to cause such a sensation in sufferers because it makes the throat swell and so it becomes difficult for the victim to swallow.’
- With very few exceptions, however, Cabernet Sauvignon was left to command California's highest wine prices, Merlot to swell sales volumes.
- Waxy starch gels form a paste at lower temperatures, swell with more water than regular or partially waxy starches, and don't lose water during freezing and thawing.
- Belle does some kind of abstruse Boswellising; after the first meal, having gauged the kind of jests that would pay here, I observed, ‘Boswell is Barred during this cruise.’ Vailima Letters
- The increasing swelling of an aneurysm of the aorta may press on the spine and chest organs.