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
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Recent Examples of billow
Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2025
Smoke billows from the roof of a convenience store in Thailand’s Sisaket province Thursday after it was hit by a rocket strike from Cambodia.
—Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 25 July 2025
Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2025
Photos shared from the scene by the firefighters union show heavy, red flames and thick, black smoke billowing from the home.
—Pilar Arias, FOXNews.com, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for billow
Noun
Video released by the prison shows large chunks of debris flying off the roof with what appears to be billows of black storm clouds above the penitentiary.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2025
Smoke billows from the roof of a convenience store in Thailand’s Sisaket province Thursday after it was hit by a rocket strike from Cambodia.
—Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 25 July 2025
Verb
The video depicts smoke billowing from the volcano before ashes fall over central Tokyo, about 60 miles away.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2025
Photos shared from the scene by the firefighters union show heavy, red flames and thick, black smoke billowing from the home.
—Pilar Arias, FOXNews.com, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for billow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for billow
Noun
-
Small pups get the first splash, followed by bigger dogs ready to make waves.—
Tiffani Jackson Skinner,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Sep. 2025
-
If conditions are right, the clusters swirl into a storm known as a tropical wave or tropical depression.—
Gabe Hauari,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Sharks are often imagined cruising just beneath the waves, dorsal fin protruding from the dark, ocean waters to alert people of their incoming doom.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
-
Hammer four nails about an inch apart into a cross shape at the center of your board so that the heads protrude at least an inch.—
Peter Barrett,
Outside,
30 Aug. 2025
Noun
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CMEs in particular are linked to swells of high-energy particles that can damage satellites, disrupt communications, and endanger astronauts.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Sep. 2025
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But before the construction of a harbor in the mid-1960s altered the surroundings, the spot was a surfer's paradise, with easy, consistent swells.—
Chloe Veltman,
NPR,
31 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Notably, @TCUFootball did not poke fun at Belichick’s relationship with his 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
3 Sep. 2025
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There was a valley of veins moving over his hands, blue rivers poking underneath his hairless arms.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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To be a real man, according to this content, young adolescent boys are expected to be tall and broad-shouldered with bulging biceps, pronounced trapezius muscles, and washboard abs.—
Ashleigh N. DeLuca,
Parents,
4 Sep. 2025
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The man displayed his find—a bulging-eyed doll with prominent teeth, enormous ears and a fuzzy body.—
Thomas Westerholm,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Billow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/billow. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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