1
: something that is swollen
specifically
: an abnormal bodily protuberance or localized enlargement
2
: the condition of being swollen
Examples of swelling in a Sentence
There was a swelling above her eye.
The swelling around her eye should subside in a few days.
Recent Examples on the Web
The idea is that vaginal estrogen could help ease common post-birth concerns like swelling and soreness.
—
Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 15 Dec. 2025
Subtlety proved the best choice, requiring fewer prosthetics but multiple stages of makeup to account for eye swelling, a broken nose and a lost tooth.
—Bill Desowitz, HollywoodReporter, 13 Dec. 2025
Usually taking the form of extreme swelling and tightening of the airways, anaphylaxis typically manifests within two hours of exposure to certain proteins in foods such as eggs, nuts, milk, and seafood.
—New Atlas, 12 Dec. 2025
By this time she’d also been diagnosed with angioedema — a sudden swelling of the tissue beneath the skin — which was causing her throat and nasal passages to close up and affect her breathing.
—Diane Herbst, PEOPLE, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for swelling
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Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 15 Dec. 2025
Subtlety proved the best choice, requiring fewer prosthetics but multiple stages of makeup to account for eye swelling, a broken nose and a lost tooth.
—Bill Desowitz, HollywoodReporter, 13 Dec. 2025
Usually taking the form of extreme swelling and tightening of the airways, anaphylaxis typically manifests within two hours of exposure to certain proteins in foods such as eggs, nuts, milk, and seafood.
—New Atlas, 12 Dec. 2025
By this time she’d also been diagnosed with angioedema — a sudden swelling of the tissue beneath the skin — which was causing her throat and nasal passages to close up and affect her breathing.
—Diane Herbst, PEOPLE, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for swelling
Cite this Entry
“Swelling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swelling. Accessed 20 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
swelling
noun
swell·ing
ˈswel-iŋ- 
: an abnormal bodily protuberance or localized enlargement
an inflammatory swelling
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