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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of billow
Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Tokyo — Large clouds of smoke billow from Japan’s most famous mountain.
—Chris Lau, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2025
Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 28 Sep. 2025
Not to mention the Briton's DNF at Zandvoort due to a mechanical problem, which put a huge dent in his championship prospects after smoke billowed from his MCL39 F1 car.
—Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for billow
Noun
Rapace’s kit — with that long thoroughbred stride somehow made greater by the black grosgrain stripes, the velocity of it all filling that billow in the cape — cut a blistering path down the Bugonia carpet.
—Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Tokyo — Large clouds of smoke billow from Japan’s most famous mountain.
—Chris Lau, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2025
Verb
Video from the scene shows dark billowing smoke rising into the air and multiple firetrucks working to extinguish the fire.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 28 Sep. 2025
Not to mention the Briton's DNF at Zandvoort due to a mechanical problem, which put a huge dent in his championship prospects after smoke billowed from his MCL39 F1 car.
—Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for billow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for billow
Noun
-
The first wave of Airpark projects includes a 14,500-square-foot structure for jets, a 37,500-square-foot hangar for large aircraft and a 1,000-square-foot customs inspection facility.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 Oct. 2025
-
Given the creeper hit status that Detectorists is gaining internationally, what’s to say this won’t be the next gentle and whimsical scripted show quietly making waves over coming months and years?—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In aircraft design, various components can protrude from the plane’s body and disrupt this smooth airflow, introducing turbulence and increasing drag.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Deputy Thomas Zajac, first on the scene, found Heskett kneeling in the grass near the park’s Old Mill Trail, grasping a pocketknife protruding from his abdomen.—
Andi Babineau,
CNN Money,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.—
MIAMI HERALD HURRICANE BOT,
Miami Herald,
8 Oct. 2025
-
In addition to heavy rain, Priscilla is bringing dangerous swells and life-threatening rip currents to southwestern and west-central Mexico and the southern Baja California peninsula.—
Anna Skinner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The Cowboys poked a hole in the Jets’ balloon after the Hall fumble.—
Zack Rosenblatt,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
-
An alligator’s head could be seen poking out of the water just a few feet away as Whaley prepared to take his shot, but the 30-year-old quickly brought the ball back onto dry land and escaped with par on the 11th green.—
Reuters,
CNN Money,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The amphibian slip-ons, crafted in glossy green rubber with bulging eyes perched across the vamp, were first introduced at JW Anderson’s fall 2023 menswear show in Milan.—
Maggie Clancy,
Footwear News,
3 Oct. 2025
-
RAKxa Jai, meanwhile, focuses on holistic wellness, with teams of staff offering a bulging book of treatments, including crystal healing, traditional Ayurvedic treatments and Marma Healing massage.—
Angelina Villa-Clarke,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Billow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/billow. Accessed 11 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share