as in rolling
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as in protruding
to extend outward beyond a usual point
the curtains in the open windows billowed in the summer wind
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Recent Examples of billowing
Hannah Malach, InStyle, 29 May 2026
Valentyn Ogirenko, USA Today, 2 June 2026
In three separate portraits, Rinna modeled a billowing tie-dye gown in her hotel suite.
—Hannah Malach, InStyle, 29 May 2026
Videos from the suburb of Choueifat, close to Beirut’s international airport, showed white smoke billowing from a residential neighborhood.
—Kareem Chehayeb, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2026
Players walked out on the stage to billowing smoke.
—Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 27 May 2026
In Scotland, firefighters worked through the night to douse a grass fire that sent smoke billowing from Arthur’s Seat, the rocky hill that looms over Edinburgh.
—ABC News, 26 May 2026
Featuring a billowing tank with deep side slits and matching straight-leg pants, this is the perfect set to pack for your summer vacation.
—Morgan Evans, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 May 2026
The silk open-back silhouette, paired with billowing, exaggerated sleeves, making this piece both romantic and impossibly light.
—Tiana Randall, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
The billowing blouse and wide-leg trousers evoked a type of edgy modernity Blazy has brought to his designs since the couturier’s appointment to the creative director role in December 2024, officially joining the label in April 2025.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 22 May 2026
Adjective
The reality star wore a billowing tie-dye gown complete with three-dimensional ruffles.
—Hannah Malach, InStyle, 29 May 2026
Verb
Photographs on Tuesday showed large explosions and plumes of smoke billowing over high-rise buildings in Kyiv, where officials said the overnight strikes had killed six people and wounded close to 80, including three children.
—Valentyn Ogirenko, USA Today, 2 June 2026
In three separate portraits, Rinna modeled a billowing tie-dye gown in her hotel suite.
—Hannah Malach, InStyle, 29 May 2026
Videos from the suburb of Choueifat, close to Beirut’s international airport, showed white smoke billowing from a residential neighborhood.
—Kareem Chehayeb, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2026
Players walked out on the stage to billowing smoke.
—Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 27 May 2026
In Scotland, firefighters worked through the night to douse a grass fire that sent smoke billowing from Arthur’s Seat, the rocky hill that looms over Edinburgh.
—ABC News, 26 May 2026
Featuring a billowing tank with deep side slits and matching straight-leg pants, this is the perfect set to pack for your summer vacation.
—Morgan Evans, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 May 2026
The silk open-back silhouette, paired with billowing, exaggerated sleeves, making this piece both romantic and impossibly light.
—Tiana Randall, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
The billowing blouse and wide-leg trousers evoked a type of edgy modernity Blazy has brought to his designs since the couturier’s appointment to the creative director role in December 2024, officially joining the label in April 2025.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 22 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for billowing
Adjective
-
The Beaufort fortress, perched high atop Lebanon’s rolling green hills and overlooking the Litani River, has been a strategic military asset for centuries.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 May 2026
-
Fenix hit a rolling cutter for a nearfall.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Elsewhere on the trophy, there are the original rules to soccer, from 1863, which include a proscription on players having nails, iron plates, or gutta-percha—a Malaysian rubberlike material, now used in root canals—protruding from their boots.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
-
The cups also feature a more angular design, visibly protruding rather than gradually curving.—
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
In partnership with Underdog, a popular daily fantasy sports (DFS) and pick'em betting platform, Brooks revealed a one-of-a-kind board game poking fun at SGA.—
Jon Root OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
22 May 2026
-
Plenty of skilled directors can manipulate tension and fear while still poking us toward nervous laughter.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
22 May 2026
Adjective
-
The hope was this would mean less swelling, less pain and, potentially, a significantly faster recovery.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
-
Another effective anti-swelling remedy is a delicious snack that may be hiding in the fridge.—
Kara Nesvig,
Allure,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
And, soon, the OCFA crew learns that one of three storage tanks at the plant — one that contains the chemical methyl methacrylate, or MMA — is bulging.—
Andre Mouchard,
Oc Register,
2 June 2026
-
The top of my head had been level with the bulging briefcase the girl had tucked under her arm.—
Annie Ernaux,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
The blocking pattern will allow for a very warm, humid, and unstable airmass south of a wavy frontal boundary that will keep much of the South and Southeast active with daily rain and thunderstorm chances into early June, the Weather Prediction Center said.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
30 May 2026
-
This mani looks straight out of the deep end, with a wavy, tile-like pattern and a gradation of blues.—
Ariel Wodarcyk,
InStyle,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Billowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/billowing. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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