as in to protrude
to extend outward beyond a usual point
the curtains in the open windows billowed in the summer wind
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of billow
Dawn Pettinelli, Hartford Courant, 18 Jan. 2025
Smoke from the Palisades Fire billows out over the ocean on January 8.
—Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 13 Jan. 2025
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 4 Feb. 2025
Lady Gaga’s Grammys look—a super-spooky Vivienne Westwood couture gown with a billowing black train—might be a sneak preview of the Mayhem era to come.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 3 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for billow
Noun
The 5 to 8 inch mounded plants can do front of the border duty, serve as groundcovers or billow over hanging baskets.
—Dawn Pettinelli, Hartford Courant, 18 Jan. 2025
Smoke from the Palisades Fire billows out over the ocean on January 8.
—Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 13 Jan. 2025
Verb
What To Know Thick, dark plumes of smoke billowed into the sky while dozens of fires burned along the roadway.
—Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 4 Feb. 2025
Lady Gaga’s Grammys look—a super-spooky Vivienne Westwood couture gown with a billowing black train—might be a sneak preview of the Mayhem era to come.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 3 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for billow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for billow
Noun
-
As reported, the diamond jewelry designer is riding a powerful wave of demand despite a cold climate for luxury, with sales growing in the high double-digits and a new investor in Lingotto Horizon, which is owned by the Agnelli family’s Exor holding.—
Hikmat Mohammed,
WWD,
13 Mar. 2025
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To ride the skin barrier wave, pack your routine with plenty of nourishing products like iNNBeauty Project’s Extreme Cream and Dr. Barbara Sturm’s new ceramide face oil which will keep your skin glowingly soft and smooth well into summer.—
Kiana Murden,
Vogue,
13 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Its most significant physical feature is a segmented tread protruding from its back, and extending to the front of its face.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
27 Feb. 2025
-
In September 2024, suspect Ryan Routh, 59, was detained after Secret Service agents spotted a rifle protruding from a bush while Trump was playing on the golf course.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Garrett McNamara is the center of the story, a pioneering big-wave surfer who searches the world for monster swells and discovered what’s become one of the most fearsome surfing breaks in the world, in the unlikely place of Nazaré, Portugal.—
Lisa Wong Macabasco,
Vogue,
7 Mar. 2025
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About four minutes in, the signature swell of music began in an effort to urge the actor offstage — but Brody didn't budge.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The eye poke left Muhammad unable to continue, and the fight was ruled a no contest.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes,
15 Mar. 2025
-
This occurs as bright points of light appear when sunlight pokes through valleys and mountain ridges on the moon, just before or after the period of totality.—
Brett Tingley,
Space.com,
14 Mar. 2025
Verb
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As Ne Zha, his wide eyes often bulge in different directions.—
Fred Topel,
Deadline,
14 Feb. 2025
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When the owner of a silver carp by Fabergé, circa 1908, squeezes the bulging glass eyeballs, the guillotine mouth chomps the end of a cigar (Wartski, E13).—
Walker Mimms,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Billow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/billow. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
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