billow

[bil-oh]

noun

1. a great wave or surge of the sea.

   Synonyms: whitecap, roller, comber, breaker, swell

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

/ ˈbɪləʊ /

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

verb

1. to rise up, swell out, or cause to rise up or swell out

Other Word Forms

• billowing adjective
• underbillow verb (used without object)

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”

Word History and Origins

Origin of billow¹

C16: from Old Norse bylgja ; related to Swedish bōlja , Danish bölg , Middle High German bulge ; see _bellow , _belly

Example Sentences

A cellphone video he recorded shows a towering column of flame, taller than a nearby telephone pole, billowing and rippling.

From Salon

Emergency services were called to Ormiston Cliff Park Primary Academy in Gorleston, Norfolk, where flames and black smoke were billowing from the building.

From BBC

Images circulating on social media showed thick plumes of black smoke billowing in a forested area of Amalfi in the country's north.

From BBC

Shepherds on the furthest ridge rushed their flocks away, as the hillside behind them broke into flames, smoke billowing up from several places.

From BBC

Smoke has been billowing over the city during one of its busiest weekends of the year, with the Edinburgh festivals in full swing.

From BBC

Related Words

• undulate