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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Following the surgery, his body swelled dangerously, and his lungs collapsed, forcing doctors to place him on a ventilator.
—
Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025
The ranks have swelled to four teams with the addition of the Firefighters and Texas Tailgaters.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Sep. 2025
These reports became a short story and then swelled to something else.
—Michael Jerome Plunkett
september 5, Literary Hub, 5 Sep. 2025
On July 8, New Mexico’s Rio Ruidoso unbound from its banks for the second year in a row and swelled to 20 times its typical knee-high depth.
—Austyn Gaffney, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2025
Meanwhile, protests have swelled in Israel as hostages’ families and their supporters press for a ceasefire.
—Wafaa Shurafa, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2025
The volume of these low-value shipments has swelled amid the rise of e-commerce, experts said.
—Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2025
The workforce swelled as people moved to Michigan for steady pay and city life.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2025
Over the past four decades, as inequality has grown exponentially for all Americans, the number of poor and low-income white people—66 million in 2018—has swelled higher than any other demographic.
—Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, Time, 5 Aug. 2025
Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025
The ranks have swelled to four teams with the addition of the Firefighters and Texas Tailgaters.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Sep. 2025
These reports became a short story and then swelled to something else.
—Michael Jerome Plunkett
september 5, Literary Hub, 5 Sep. 2025
On July 8, New Mexico’s Rio Ruidoso unbound from its banks for the second year in a row and swelled to 20 times its typical knee-high depth.
—Austyn Gaffney, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2025
Meanwhile, protests have swelled in Israel as hostages’ families and their supporters press for a ceasefire.
—Wafaa Shurafa, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2025
The volume of these low-value shipments has swelled amid the rise of e-commerce, experts said.
—Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2025
The workforce swelled as people moved to Michigan for steady pay and city life.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2025
Over the past four decades, as inequality has grown exponentially for all Americans, the number of poor and low-income white people—66 million in 2018—has swelled higher than any other demographic.
—Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, Time, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swelled
Verb
-
That Carroll took such umbrage only increased Harbaugh’s smile, making for a better story.—
Jay Paris,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Plenty of timepiece brands increased their prices, too, in response to those initial tariff figures back in April, according to Hodinkee.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Tesla's board has urged shareholders to vote against a proposal calling for a political neutrality policy, which would have expanded board oversight of Musk's political activities.—
Akash Sriram,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
-
In recent years, Chanel has expanded its support for cinema, which now encompasses everything from costume design to film restoration, in addition to initiatives geared at fostering the next generation of movie directors.—
Joelle Diderich,
Footwear News,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Despite a curfew announced by authorities, anger erupted as the death toll rose.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The share of respondents indicating that foreign and local companies were treated equally rose by 5 percentage points to 37%.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The independent brand picked up momentum in secondary channels in May, when turnover rose to 36 percent and accelerated further in June, peaking at 43 percent.—
Victoria Gomelsky,
Robb Report,
8 Sep. 2025
-
In addition, Borenstein has accelerated the brand’s progress toward its sustainability commitments, including climate-positive by 2025 and a new commitment to be fully circular by 2030.—
WWD Staff,
Footwear News,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The post, which shared several photos from the outing, also poked fun at the couple getting caught in the rain while meeting with schoolchildren at the museum.—
Stephanie Petit,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
-
While some people argued that the photo was degrading to women, Carpenter stood by the photo and poked fun at the controversy while sharing alternate album covers.—
Katherine Schaffstall,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Ireland climbed 17 spots, propelled by career opportunities and new remote-work legislation, despite persistent challenges around housing and healthcare.—
Laura Begley Bloom,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
-
The Topix climbed 1% to a record high.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Silksong just passed up yesterday’s 562,000 concurrent Steam playercount record, a stunning number for a $20 indie game, though obviously boosted by its mythological status after seven years of waiting from fans.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
-
The inability, or decision not, to sell players who would have boosted the club’s spending power is a subjective call made by United’s key decision-makers that will never sit right with some supporters.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
And research has shown that skilled field trades like those that service the electric system stand to be augmented, not replaced, by artificial intelligence tools such as predictive maintenance and remote diagnostics.—
Brian Deese,
Foreign Affairs,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Panchagnula champions augmented intelligence—where AI amplifies human expertise rather than replaces it, using human-in-the-loop workflows.—
Wyles Daniel,
USA Today,
28 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Swelled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swelled. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share