billow
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billow
a surge of the sea; a swell, breaker, crest; to swell out as by the wind: The boat’s sails billow in the wind.
Not to be confused with:
below – under; in a lower place; beneath the surface of the water: what lies below
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
bil·low
(bĭl′ō)n.
1. A large wave or swell of water.
2. A great swell, surge, or undulating mass, as of smoke or sound.
v. bil·lowed, bil·low·ing, bil·lows
v.intr.
1. To surge or roll in billows.
2. To swell out or bulge: sheets billowing in the breeze.
v.tr.
To cause to billow: wind that billowed the sails.
bil′low·i·ness n.
bil′low·y adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
billow
(ˈbɪləʊ)n
1. (Physical Geography) a large sea wave
2. a swelling or surging mass, as of smoke or sound
3. (Physical Geography) a large atmospheric wave, usually in the lee of a hill
4. (plural) poetic the sea itself
vb
to rise up, swell out, or cause to rise up or swell out
[C16: from Old Norse bylgja; related to Swedish bōlja, Danish bölg, Middle High German bulge; see bellow, belly]
ˈbillowing adj, n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
bil•low
(ˈbɪl oʊ)n.
1. a great wave or surge of the sea.
2. any surging mass: billows of smoke.
v.i. 3. to rise or roll in billows; surge.
4. to swell out, puff up, etc.
v.t. 5. to cause to billow.
[1545–55; < Old Norse bylgja wave]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
billow
- The swell on the ocean produced by the wind, or on a river or estuary by the tide or wind.See also related terms for tide.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
billow
Past participle: billowed
Gerund: billowing
| Imperative |
|---|
| billow |
| billow |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  billow - a large sea wave moving ridge, wave - one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water) |
| Verb | 1. |  billow - rise up as if in waves; "smoke billowed up into the sky"cloud - billow up in the form of a cloud; "The smoke clouded above the houses" |
| 2. |  billow - move with great difficulty; "The soldiers billowed across the muddy riverbed"go, locomote, move, travel - change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically; "How fast does your new car go?"; "We travelled from Rome to Naples by bus"; "The policemen went from door to door looking for the suspect"; "The soldiers moved towards the city in an attempt to take it before night fell"; "news travelled fast" | |
| 3. |  billow - rise and move, as in waves or billows; "The army surged forward" | |
| 4. |  billow - become inflated; "The sails ballooned"reflate - become inflated again expand - become larger in size or volume or quantity; "his business expanded rapidly" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
billow
verb
noun
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations
مَوْجَةٌ عارِمه
veliká vlna
bølgesø
hullám: nagy hullám
alda, bylgja
banguojantisdidelė bangaišsipūsti
bangaliels vilnis
veľká vlna
büyük dalga
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
billow
(ˈbiləu) noun a large wave.
ˈbillowy adjectivebillow out
to move in a way similar to large waves. The sails billowed out in the strong wind; Her skirt billowed out in the breeze.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.