as in protruding
to extend outward beyond a usual point
the curtains in the open windows billowed in the summer wind
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in rolling
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of billowing
Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2025
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
Videos on social media and local television stations showed flames and smoke billowing from the church.
—Kristen Jordan Shamus, USA Today, 28 Sep. 2025
He was dressed in a white tank top, a billowing black organza jacket, and distressed jeans that, in lieu of a belt, were held up by cellophane tape.
—Ana Karina Zatarain, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2025
Videos circulating online and featured in Chineses state-run media showed plumes of smoke billowing from one of the vehicles, while fire trucks and ambulances raced to the scene.
—John Liu, CNN Money, 17 Sep. 2025
Get too close to the smoke billowing out of the preseason hype machine, and you might get pelted by a gear or screw spewing from the engine.
—David Ubben, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
This image taken from AFPTV footage shows a man looking at smoke billowing after explosions in Qatar's capital, Doha, on September 9.
—Amira El-Fekki, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
The screen is loose on one side, draping to the floor — attractive but ghostlike, like a billowing vintage dress or a sculptural installation.
—Blake Simons, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Many came with matching tulle capes, some shrunken to cover just the arms, shoulders and neckline, others with billowing side trails.
—Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2025
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
Videos on social media and local television stations showed flames and smoke billowing from the church.
—Kristen Jordan Shamus, USA Today, 28 Sep. 2025
He was dressed in a white tank top, a billowing black organza jacket, and distressed jeans that, in lieu of a belt, were held up by cellophane tape.
—Ana Karina Zatarain, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2025
Videos circulating online and featured in Chineses state-run media showed plumes of smoke billowing from one of the vehicles, while fire trucks and ambulances raced to the scene.
—John Liu, CNN Money, 17 Sep. 2025
Get too close to the smoke billowing out of the preseason hype machine, and you might get pelted by a gear or screw spewing from the engine.
—David Ubben, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
This image taken from AFPTV footage shows a man looking at smoke billowing after explosions in Qatar's capital, Doha, on September 9.
—Amira El-Fekki, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
The screen is loose on one side, draping to the floor — attractive but ghostlike, like a billowing vintage dress or a sculptural installation.
—Blake Simons, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for billowing
Verb
-
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
-
Keta’s long layers fell on the sides of her face, while the back was noticeably teased and twisted with spiky pieces protruding out.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The robot uses a strong rolling gait when steered by a rotating magnetic field.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Sep. 2025
-
So my rolling carry-on suitcase just couldn’t be checked.—
Kelsey Glennon,
Travel + Leisure,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The first meetup drew dozens of participants poking at pudding cups together.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
3 Oct. 2025
-
The underground pop of the 2010s used to get so excited about being online, using shrinky-dink artifice to delight in poking fun at a culture that could feel shallow and strange but also organic and endlessly renewable.—
Anna Gaca,
Pitchfork,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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
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The Saetbyol-4, which shares the Global Hawk's bulging fuselage design, is a reconnaissance aircraft while the Saetbyol-9, like the Reaper, is an attack drone.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The 67-year-old singer arrived at the Saint Laurent spring 2026 show outside the Eiffel Tower on Monday night during Paris Fashion Week, her wavy blond hair loosely trapped under the collar of her leather top, curls snaking around the edges of her face, pooling just below her collarbone.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
30 Sep. 2025
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The Bear star wore her hair in a wavy bob.—
Catherine Santino,
PEOPLE,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Billowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/billowing. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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