as in protrudes
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 billows
Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
Smoke billows following an Israeli strike that targeted a building in the Bureij camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on Sunday.
—Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 20 Oct. 2025
Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2025
Smoke billows from the Lyondell Basell Houston refinery in Texas in 2024.
—Matthew Robinson, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
It’s presented in a treasure chest with smoke protruding as the chest opens, slowly displaying the cocktail itself as the smoke billows into the patron’s face, preparing their nostrils for the smokey aroma ahead.
—Andrew Watman, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Noun
Passersby stared as billows of smoke rose into the air above the White House as part of the home shared by the United States president and his family crumbled to the ground.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
Smoke billows following an Israeli strike that targeted a building in the Bureij camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on Sunday.
—Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 20 Oct. 2025
Verb
Smoke billows over Gaza Strip following an Israeli bombardment Sunday.
—Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2025
Smoke billows from the Lyondell Basell Houston refinery in Texas in 2024.
—Matthew Robinson, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
It’s presented in a treasure chest with smoke protruding as the chest opens, slowly displaying the cocktail itself as the smoke billows into the patron’s face, preparing their nostrils for the smokey aroma ahead.
—Andrew Watman, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for billows
Noun
-
This year has seen waves of bad news for the global fight to halt catastrophic climate change.—
Ella Nilsen,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Echoing her refined outfit, Lawrence went with simple, no-fuss beauty, including loose waves and a no-makeup makeup look.—
Kelsey Stewart,
Footwear News,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Baleen is a specialized type of bone that protrudes from the jaws like teeth and is used to filter small critters from the ocean water to feed.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The fall and winter offer the best swells of the year, turbocharged by nor’easters and tropical storms.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Nov. 2025
-
The swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions, forecasters said.—
Gabe Hauari,
USA Today,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The neck of his daughter's guitar pokes out above chunks of concrete.—
Jane Arraf,
NPR,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Who else pokes holes in this claim?—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), a brain aneurysm is a weakened area in an artery that bulges outward and fills with blood.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Billows.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/billows. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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