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
Claire Galofaro, Fortune, 9 Jan. 2026
By night, fires dot the serene landscape and smoke billows from chimneys as guests sip cocktails and cocoa or take a sleigh ride over powdery, sparkling snow.
—Wendy O'Dea, Robb Report, 28 Dec. 2025
Prayer mats lie next to heavy artillery; smoke billows from parked whips; backstabbers get cut first.
—Pitchfork, 10 Dec. 2025
One officer reaches into the car to open the driver's door and pull him out, but a ball of flames quickly flares up as smoke billows from the car.
—Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 17 Nov. 2025
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
Julie Sharp, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
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
Noun
Three seconds later, the Honda crashes into a parked car with such force its tires fly off the street, the pile of cars lurches forward several feet and snow billows.
—Claire Galofaro, Fortune, 9 Jan. 2026
By night, fires dot the serene landscape and smoke billows from chimneys as guests sip cocktails and cocoa or take a sleigh ride over powdery, sparkling snow.
—Wendy O'Dea, Robb Report, 28 Dec. 2025
Prayer mats lie next to heavy artillery; smoke billows from parked whips; backstabbers get cut first.
—Pitchfork, 10 Dec. 2025
One officer reaches into the car to open the driver's door and pull him out, but a ball of flames quickly flares up as smoke billows from the car.
—Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 17 Nov. 2025
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
Thick black smoke billows from a South El Monte recycling plant as Los Angeles County Fire Department crews are attempting to control the flames consuming the large building complex.
—Julie Sharp, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
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
-
Lake Superior and Lake Michigan are expected to experience high waves and damaging ice accumulation onto vessels, and central Michigan is under a flood warning due to ice jams that could obstruct the waterways, causing flooding, according to the NWS.—
Sarah Moore,
Freep.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The goal is to build a mini-forest of mangroves that buffer the campus from waves and high tides, help clean the water and provide a habitat for the manatees, tarpon and other wildlife that are regularly spotted in the area.—
Alex Harris,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
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
-
Even as the contestants arrive to begin the season, an important rowing portion of today's marooning challenge remains up in the air due to tumultuous swells.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Farther north in the Bay Area, a powerful combination of abnormally high king tides, large swells caused by a storm hanging out in the eastern Pacific, and rainfall across the region has led to coastal flooding.—
Deborah Netburn,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Partnerships deserve thoughtfulness as romantic Venus pokes jolly Jupiter, activating your 7th House of Connections and your 12th House of Karma.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Is every head that pokes in to look at me actually Frank himself?—
Shane Kowalski,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 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 1 Feb. 2026.
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