swell

verb \ ˈswel \

Definition of swell

swelled; swelled or swollen play \ˈswō-lən\; swelling

intransitive verb

1 a :to expand (as in size, volume, or numbers) gradually beyond a normal or original limit

the population swelled

b :to become distended or puffed up

her ankle is badly swollen

c :to form a bulge or rounded elevation

2 a :to become filled with pride and arrogance

b :to behave or speak in a pompous, blustering, or self-important manner

c :to play the swell

3 :to become distended with emotion

transitive verb

1 :to affect with a powerful or expansive emotion

2 :to increase the size, number, or intensity of

swell the applicant pool

See swell defined for English-language learners

See swell defined for kids

Examples of swell in a Sentence

Her broken ankle swelled badly.
Heavy rains swelled the river.
The population has swelled in recent years.
The economy is swelling at an annual rate of five percent.
Immigrants have swelled the population.

Recent Examples of swell from the Web

The 1.9-million-square-foot George R. Brown Convention Center swelled beyond its capacity Monday night, ABC affiliate KTRK reported.

— stephanie kuzydym, chicagotribune.com, "Joel Osteen pushes back against accusations he closed his megachurch to Harvey victims," 30 Aug. 2017
The expansion will also swell the workforce to 350 from its original total of 170.

— william thornton, AL.com, "Opelika, Auburn talking about shared skate park," 29 Aug. 2017
The Ischia quake hit the resort island famed for its thermal waters during the height of the tourist season, with its population of 64,000 swelled by another 150,000.

— colleen barry, The Seattle Times, "Italian boy credited with helping save brother after quake," 22 Aug. 2017
Tiny rural towns swelled by thousands as eclipse chasers traveled hundreds of miles to watch the spectacle, a vivid version of the spheres held up in science class to show the clockwork of the universe.

— Bloomberg.com, "Solar Eclipse Awes America With a Glimpse of Totality," 21 Aug. 2017
But experts and NATO officials say Moscow is more likely to conduct a series of engagements that will swell those ranks by tens of thousands.

— chicagotribune.com, "NATO, Russian troops rattle swords along hundreds of miles of borderland," 19 July 2017
At curtain, some 200 police officers posted themselves inside the theater at Astor Place, with 75 more outside, where the crowd soon swelled to more than 10,000 people.

— betsy golden kellem, Smithsonian, "When New York City Rioted Over Hamlet Being Too British," 19 July 2017
Turkish news reports say the military contingent could swell to 1,000 troops, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to visit Doha in the coming days.

— declan walsh, New York Times, "Qatar Opens Its Doors to All, to the Dismay of Some," 16 July 2017
There are still places in the world that are quiet, and places that swell with music.

— claire comstock-gay, The Cut, "Madame Clairevoyant: Horoscopes for the Week of July 10," 10 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'swell.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of swell

Middle English, from Old English swellan; akin to Old High German swellan to swell

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

swell Synonyms

Synonyms

accelerate, accumulate, appreciate, balloon, boom, build up, burgeon (also bourgeon), climb, enlarge, escalate, expand, gain, mount, multiply, mushroom, proliferate, rise, roll up, snowball, spread, increase, wax

Antonyms

contract, decrease, diminish, dwindle, lessen, recede, wane

Related Words

jump, rocket, skyrocket, surge; heighten, intensify, redouble; blow up, bulk, distend, inflate, puff (up); crescendo, crest, peak

Near Antonyms

abbreviate, abridge, curtail, shorten; compress, condense, constrict, contract; cut back, retrench

Synonym Discussion of swell

expand, amplify, swell, distend, inflate, dilate mean to increase in size or volume. expand may apply regardless of the manner of increase (such as growth, unfolding, addition of parts).

- a business that expands every year

amplify implies the extension or enlargement of something inadequate.

- amplify the statement with details

swell implies gradual expansion beyond a thing's original or normal limits.

- the bureaucracy swelled to unmanageable proportions

distend implies outward extension caused by pressure from within.

- a distended abdomen

inflate implies expanding by introduction of air or something insubstantial and suggests a vulnerability to sudden collapse.

- an inflated ego

dilate applies especially to expansion of circumference.

- dilated pupils

swell

noun

Definition of swell

1 :a long often massive and crestless wave or succession of waves often continuing beyond or after its cause (such as a gale)

2 a :the condition of being protuberant

b :a rounded elevation

3 a :the act or process of swelling

b (1) :a gradual increase and decrease of the loudness of a musical sound; also :a sign indicating a swell

(2) :a device used in an organ for governing loudness

4 a archaic :an impressive, pompous, or fashionable air or display

b :a person dressed in the height of fashion

c :a person of high social position or outstanding competence

See swell defined for English-language learners

Examples of swell in a Sentence

The storm has brought high winds and heavy swells along the coast.
the swell of a pregnant woman's belly
a swell in the population
the swell of the music

Recent Examples of swell from the Web

Considered one of the state’s premiere waves that can hold a big swell, Lunada had been strictly off-limits to outsiders for decades.

— michael smolens, sandiegouniontribune.com, "How would La Jolla's 'surf Nazis' fare these days?," 26 Aug. 2017
This Is Us emotion music swells and there are JUST A LOT OF FEELINGS HAPPENING.

— emma dibdin, Cosmopolitan, "Here Is Your First Look At This Is Us Season 2," 23 Aug. 2017
However, swells could begin to hit parts of the U.S. coast today, causing life-threatening rip currents and surfs in Virginia and North Carolina, forecasters said.

— jenny staletovich, miamiherald, "Gert likely a hurricane Tuesday, forecasters say," 14 Aug. 2017
Instead, in Gulf Shores, Corcoran said there is a growing swell of residential support for a city school.

— john sharp, AL.com, "Gulf Shores latest in Alabama to look at city-county school split," 25 July 2017
The National Weather Service Center in Mobile said dangerous surf conditions will exist through early this evening, with swells of up 8 feet.

— leada gore, AL.com, "Destin beaches reopen but Gulf remains off limits; water closed in Panama City, Gulf Shores," 23 June 2017
Of course, those nuptial plans tend to snowball while the guest list swells.

— jen banowetz, Naperville Sun, "Summer Place goes back in time for 'Father of the Bride'," 21 June 2017
Ever conscious of the billowing swells and the romantic sweep of the thematic material, the excitement converged, redirected and swelled again.

— libby hanssen, kansascity, "Kansas City Symphony’s Classical Series finale exudes power, flexibility," 17 June 2017
Out past the rough surf, past the breaking swells, into the dark night of the sea.

— elisabeth egan, chicagotribune.com, "Algren Award finalist: "Water like air" by Rebecca Wurtz," 10 June 2017

First Known Use of swell

1606

swell Synonyms

Synonyms

bunch, convexity, jut, overhang, projection, protrusion, protuberance, bulge

swell

adjective

Definition of swell

1 a :stylish

b :socially prominent

2 :excellent —used as a generalized term of enthusiasm

See swell defined for English-language learners

Examples of swell in a Sentence

That was a swell party.
what a swell time we had at the country club dance

Recent Examples of swell from the Web

Over the weekend, a south swell brought elevated surf to local beaches as crowds in the hundreds of thousands sought a reprieve from toasty temperatures inland.

— hannah fry, Daily Pilot, "High surf, rip currents and crowds keeping lifeguards busy," 10 July 2017
Time of day for buying shoes also matters because our feet swell different amounts as the day goes on.

— Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "If the Shoe Fits: Tips for being an informed shoe buyer," 26 June 2017
Solspot.com says that the surf will be in the 2’ to 3’ range in South County well into the weekend, and 3’ to 4’ in North County, which will feel the affects of a south swell.

— gary robbins, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Hot weather to linger in San Diego through Monday," 22 June 2017
Stockpiles Swell An unexpected increase in U.S. crude oil and product inventories fueled a massive selloff in West Texas Intermediate Wednesday.

— luke kawa, Bloomberg.com, "Five Things You Need to Know to Start Your Day," 7 June 2017
Its screen goes all the way to the top of the phone, wrapping around the front-facing camera, which looks swell!

— eric limer, Popular Mechanics, "Why Won't Anyone Fix What Is Actually Wrong With Phones?," 30 May 2017
Or maybe Greg Schiano and Kevin Wilson are just swell guys who didn't want to force Ohio State to break the bank on their behalf.

— bill landis, cleveland.com, "How is Ohio State football getting million-dollar coordinators at bargain prices?," 18 May 2017
Enter Brian, a swell guy who draws her out of her shell.

— lloyd sachs, chicagotribune.com, "Review: The latest by Lehane, Turow and Paretsky," 16 May 2017
Their transformation is helped by Shawn Walsh’s swell costumes and wigs.

— matthew j. palm, OrlandoSentinel.com, "'Psycho Mode' at Orlando Fringe Festival," 16 May 2017

First Known Use of swell

1785

swell Synonyms

Synonyms

A-OK, A1, awesome, bang-up, banner, beautiful, blue-chip, blue-ribbon, boffo, bonny (also bonnie) [chiefly British], boss [slang], brag, brave, bully, bumper, capital, choice, classic, cool [slang], corking, crackerjack, cracking, dandy, divine, dope [slang], down [slang], dynamite, fab, fabulous, famous, fantabulous [slang], fantastic, fine, first-class, first-rate, first-string, five-star, four-star, frontline, gangbusters (also gangbuster), gilt-edged (or gilt-edge), gone [slang], grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-class, hot, hype [slang], immense, jim-dandy, keen, lovely, marvelous (or marvellous), mean, neat, nifty, noble, number one (also No. 1), numero uno, out-of-sight [slang], par excellence, peachy, peachy keen, phat [slang], prime, primo [slang], prize, prizewinning, quality, radical [slang], righteous [slang], sensational, slick, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, excellent, terrific, tip-top, top, top-flight, top-notch, top-of-the-line, topping [chiefly British], top-shelf, unsurpassed, wizard [chiefly British], wonderful

Antonyms

atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor, rotten, terrible, vile, wretched

Related Words

acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, good, OK (or okay), passable, satisfactory, tolerable; better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, high-test, premium, select, special, superfine; classical, standard, traditional

Near Antonyms

bad, inferior, low-grade, substandard, unsatisfactory; mediocre, middling, second-class, second-rate

SWELL Defined for English Language Learners

swell

verb

Definition of swell for English Language Learners

: to become larger than normal
: to make (something, such as a river) larger or more full than normal
: to increase in size or number

swell

noun

Definition of swell for English Language Learners

: an upward and downward movement of the water in the sea
: the curved or rounded shape of something
: an increase in size or number

swell

adjective

Definition of swell for English Language Learners

: very good

SWELL Defined for Kids

swell

verb \ ˈswel \

Definition of swell for Students

swelled; swelled or swollen \ˈswō-lən\; swelling

1 :to enlarge in an abnormal way usually by pressure from within or by growth

Her sprained ankle is swelling up.

2 :to grow or make bigger (as in size or value)

The town's population swelled.

3 :to stretch upward or outward :bulge The sails swelled in the breeze.

4 :to fill or become filled with emotion

His heart swelled with pride.

swell

noun

Definition of swell for Students

1 :a gradual increase in size, value, or volume

a swell of laughter

2 :a long rolling wave or series of waves in the open sea

3 :the condition of bulging

the swell of big muscles

4 :a rounded elevation

swell

adjective

Definition of swell for Students

:excellent, first-rate

We had a swell time.

Medical Dictionary

swell

intransitive verb \ ˈswel \

medical Definition of swell

swelled; swelled or swollen play \ˈswō-lən\; swelling

:to become distended or puffed up

her ankle swelled

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swell

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SWELL Defined for English Language Learners

swell

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swell

Definition of swell for English Language Learners

swell

Definition of swell for English Language Learners

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swell

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swell

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swell

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