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
Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 15 July 2025
Smoke billows after an Israeli strike on Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on June 28, 2025, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas militant group.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 July 2025
Calista Oetama
july 3, Sacbee.com, 3 July 2025
Photos posted by emergency responders show blue smoke and flames billowing from the green riverside vegetation next to the highway.
—Austin Corona, AZCentral.com, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for billow
Noun
Smoke from the White Sage Fire billows near the Jacob Lake Inn in Fredonia, Ariz., on Saturday.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 15 July 2025
Smoke billows after an Israeli strike on Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on June 28, 2025, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas militant group.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 July 2025
Verb
The explosion blew a yawning hole into the side of the warehouse before billowing into a mushroom cloud.
—Calista Oetama
july 3, Sacbee.com, 3 July 2025
Photos posted by emergency responders show blue smoke and flames billowing from the green riverside vegetation next to the highway.
—Austin Corona, AZCentral.com, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for billow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for billow
Noun
-
The biggest beneficiaries of the change have been Sam Vines, who can now play a bigger attacking role, and Yapi, who still slots into a central role, but can also make waves on the wing.—
Braidon Nourse,
Denver Post,
17 Aug. 2025
-
Hours after forecasters began tracking a new system in the western Atlantic Saturday, a westerly moving tropical wave arose off Africa.—
David Schutz,
Sun Sentinel,
16 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Tung’s front layers were slicked across the right side of her forehead and brushed behind her ear; her short ends protruded out underneath.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
30 July 2025
-
In person the tremendous symmetry of her face was startling; her cheekbones protruded, and her eyes were far apart.—
Darcey Steinke,
Vogue,
27 July 2025
Noun
-
The swells also are producing fast-moving currents beneath the county’s public piers.—
Gary Robbins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 Aug. 2025
-
One more beer, condensation rolling down the can in the lazy swell of this fine summer afternoon.—
Kristen Arnett
August 7,
Literary Hub,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The premiere episode was a hot topic not only among viewership and the media but within the White House as Parker and Stone brutally poked fun at President Donald Trump in both animated and live-action deepfake form.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
6 Aug. 2025
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One video captured by beachgoers Annie Kremer and Connor Pelt and shared on TikTok shows the animals coming within feet of people standing in the sand, and the shark's fins poking out above the water as the massive stingray juts into view.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
People.com,
4 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The adjustable straps provide a true-to-size fit and the sheer lace won’t bulge through tight clothing.—
Malia Griggs,
Glamour,
4 Aug. 2025
-
Both can affect your quality of life: Atherosclerosis can cause heart attacks, strokes, poor blood flow to the legs, or bulging arteries.—
Alexandria Nyembwe,
Health,
20 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Billow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/billow. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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