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

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

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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 In a House Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing Wednesday, Republican and Democratic lawmakers criticized Oracle for a contract that has now swelled to $27 billion. — Benjamin Guggenheim, Washington Post, 3 Sep. 2026 But the administration, led by Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg, has pushed ahead, recruiting bankers to help wield a loan authority that has swelled from $1 billion to $200 billion thanks to the recent Republican party-line tax bill. — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 2 Sep. 2026 That investment later swelled to $13 billion as the strategic relationship tightened, but more recently the two companies have been competing on multiple fronts. — Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026 But in the first quarter this year, its losses swelled to $99 million. — John Liu, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2026 The rocks and melted water then swelled the rivers in the valleys below, causing a torrent of water that swept buildings, bridges and earth downstream in Tibet and Nepal. — Victoria Milko, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026 In 1950, only about 11% of Mission residents would have been considered Latino, according to the California Migration Museum, but by the 1970s, that number had swelled to nearly half. — Marissa J. Lang, NPR, 28 Aug. 2026 The rocks and melted water suddenly swelled the rivers in the valleys below, causing torrents of water that swept buildings, bridges and earth downstream in Tibet and Nepal. — CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026 Satellite imagery showed the scale of the flooding, with the basin of the Trishuli River dramatically swelled by mud. — Matteo Moschella, NBC news, 26 Aug. 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 eastward shift increased the chances of hurricane-force wind gusts on Niihau and possibly Kauai, especially at higher elevations, the hurricane center warned.
    — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2026
  • The restrictions have increased pressure on Chinese companies to develop domestic alternatives across the semiconductor supply chain.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of increased
Verb
  • More Great Living Stories From Vogue The Vogue Runway app has expanded!
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The survey found that voters favored a generic Democratic candidate for Congress over a Republican 46% to 40%, but the Democratic advantage expanded to 11 points among those who definitely plan to vote.
    — Zac Anderson, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of expanded
Verb
  • In several looks, the hips protruded impressively outward, but the silhouette appeared more subtle and somewhat suitable for everyday wear in the label’s delicate camisole tops.
    — Kelly Niesen, Glamour, 24 July 2026
  • The skinny braids wrapped the bottom of the bun, while the thicker braids dressed the top, forming a cylinder shape that protruded from the crown of her head.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 29 June 2026
Definition of protruded
Verb
  • Japan’s 10-year yield reached its highest level since August 1996, while Germany’s benchmark yield rose to a 2011 high.
    — Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The Colorado River also rose briefly just upstream from where Bright Angel Creek empties into the river, in response to the sudden influx of water, according to the river gauge on the geologic survey, but quickly adjusted.
    — Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of rose
Verb
  • The rocket’s second stage ignited a single Aquila engine and accelerated to orbital velocity—some 5 miles per second—about seven minutes into the flight.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The July hack by rogue OpenAI autonomous agents on open-source developer platform Hugging Face accelerated the shift and proved that the era of advanced AI hacks had arrived.
    — Samantha Subin, CNBC, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of accelerated
Verb
  • Better together Industry analysts, experts and insiders have consistently poked holes in the states' argument that the combination of TV networks would create antitrust issues.
    — Lillian Rizzo, CNBC, 24 Aug. 2026
  • So too were the buildings, including my hotel, which poked through the seven-foot-high snowbanks, looking like an ancient shipwreck covered in shifting sand.
    — Adam H. Graham, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of poked
Verb
  • The death toll following last week's unprecedented flash flood at the Nepal-Tibet border has climbed to 1,344, with an additional 4,996 people believed to still be missing as of Saturday, officials said.
    — Jon Haworth, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Expedia said in June that searches using budget filters have climbed more than 1,200% compared with 12 months ago.
    — Alex Harring, CNBC, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of climbed
Verb
  • Net profits tallied $183 million, boosted by more than $140 million in tariff refunds.
    — Evan Clark, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Sami boosted the event-ticket side of his business by personally picking up tickets for customers.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 2 Sep. 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 8 Sep. 2026.

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