swelled

verb

past tense of swell
1
as in increased
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number the club membership has really swelled in recent months

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in expanded
to make greater in size, amount, or number more layoffs will swell the ranks of the unemployed to unprecedented levels

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in protruded
to extend outward beyond a usual point at that point the Congo River swells and forms Malebo Pool

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of swelled The number of titles receiving airplay swelled from seven to 18, while stations playing at least one song of his increased from 72 to 94. — Russ Penuell, Billboard, 27 Oct. 2026 Ongoing demonstrations over the housing shortage swelled in Spain and Portugal, where students set up tent camps in city squares. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 26 Oct. 2026 CrowdStrike's weighting in our portfolio had swelled to nearly 5%. — Alexa Lomonaco,matthew J. Belvedere,jeff Marks, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026 And a couple follow-on checks and few years later, Cursor swelled into an industry sensation, with SpaceX eventually acquiring the business for $60 billion in 2026—a deal estimated to drive $1 billion in returns to BoxGroup. — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026 The ranks of the protesters have also swelled to include some more opportunistic looters and agitators. — Caitlin Dewey, Vox, 19 Oct. 2026 Piper Sandler’s annual teen survey — polling 9,000 teens across 47 states — shows overall beauty spend swelled 7 percent this year, with growth across all key categories, including cosmetics, skin care, hair and fragrance. — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026 Last spring’s event swelled by roughly 10% in both attendance and revenue over the previous year, setting new high marks, Treefort co-founder Eric Gilbert told the Idaho Statesman. — Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 15 Oct. 2026 Stein’s reputation as a coach and manager of players swelled. — Michael Walker, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swelled
  1. increased
  2. expanded
  3. protruded
  4. rose
  5. accelerated
  6. poked
  7. climbed
  8. boosted
Verb
  • The county also increased its general millage rate for fiscal year 2025-2026.
    — Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Rents have increased in this rural area, where the median income is around $50,000 a year.
    — Ayesha Rascoe, NPR, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of increased
Verb
  • In recent weeks, however, Republicans essentially ceded the race as the battleground map expanded to places like Texas.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Connecticut has expanded the opportunities for early voting for college students this election cycle, with polling locations at each of the four state universities in addition to UConn’s Storrs campus and Fairfield University.
    — Katie Servas, Hartford Courant, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of expanded
Verb
  • The semiaquatic predator’s eyes would have also protruded from the skull, similar to the Indian gharial, because the eye sockets were raised like a telescope, Burke added.
    — Taylor Nicioli, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The stranger’s hollow cheeks, his dark eyes, whose lashes always appeared wet, the bony shoulders that protruded from the singlet Chee Meng had lent him—all of it frightened Shawn.
    — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of protruded
Verb
  • Industrial equipment investment rose nearly 25%, which while not a straight AI trade, does partially reflect spending on data centers.
    — Eric Rosenbaum, CNBC, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Federal Reserve researchers found that manufacturers whose input costs rose most under the 2018 tariffs employed 2% fewer workers than those least affected.
    — Stuart Loren, Chicago Tribune, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of rose
Verb
  • The feud accelerated over the closing weeks of the campaign when Cenk Uygur’s Rebellion PAC began running the anti-Israel ad that would eventually convince Stevens to endorse Rogers.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Worry among voters about whether their ballots will be counted has accelerated, according to organizers; in a recent AP-NORC poll, just under half of American voters expressed confidence that midterm votes will be counted accurately.
    — Justine McDaniel, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of accelerated
Verb
  • Kessler, standing nearby during Williams’ postgame news conference, poked his head out from behind a black curtain and gave his teammate a thumbs-up.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Already poked, the league bear hasn’t exactly gone into hibernation, either.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of poked
Verb
  • The outbreak remains concentrated in Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa, where cases have climbed from 177 to 352.
    — Alex DeLuca, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The scouts said the object climbed quickly before appearing to disintegrate.
    — Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of climbed
Verb
  • Rivian shares surged Friday after its latest results boosted optimism that the long-struggling electric-vehicle maker is headed toward better times.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The state and national websites also boosted an 11th House candidate that did not have her own dedicated site purporting to be local news.
    — Huo Jingnan, NPR, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of boosted

Phrases Containing swelled

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swell
swelled
swelled head
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Cite this Entry

“Swelled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swelled. Accessed 3 Nov. 2026.

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