Synonyms of billow

billow 1 of 2

noun

ˈbi-(ˌ)lō 

as in wave

a moving ridge on the surface of water

the great billows created by the ocean storm threatened to swamp the fishing boat

Synonyms & Similar Words

• wave
• swell
• surge
• ripple
• tsunami
• curl
• surf
• sea(s)
• whitecap
• comber
• breaker
• roller
• wavelet
• ground swell
• riffle
• tidal wave

billow

2 of 2

verb

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

• protrude
• poke
• bulge
• swell
• jut
• balloon
• stand out
• overhang
• bunch
• pouch
• stick out
• pout
• project
• start
• belly
• extend
• bag
• dome
• beetle
• inflate
• distend
• stretch
• dilate
• pooch
• lengthen
• expand
• elongate
• snowball
• mushroom
• blow up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• shrink
• contract
• compress
• condense
• constrict

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of billow

Noun

Smoke billows following an Israeli strike on the area of the Rawdat al-Salihin Mosque and the nearby cemetery in the southern city of Nabatieh, Lebanon, May 26, 2026. — CBS News, 27 May 2026

Try to score a private cabana and have servers dote on you while curtains billow in the sea breeze. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026

Verb

Two workers were killed and several others injured after two explosions tore through an industrial recycling facility in Toledo, Ohio, early Tuesday, sparking a massive fire and sending thick, black smoke billowing over the area, officials said. — Sophia Compton, FOXNews.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Russian independent online outlet Astra said an oil refinery in the city of Orsk, some 1,300 kilometers from the border with Ukraine, was hit and published images of smoke billowing over it. — ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026