SWELLS Synonyms: 189 Similar and Opposite Words

swells 1 of 2

noun

plural of swell

as in projections

a part that sticks out from the general mass of something the graceful swell of the bottle was meant to be evocative of the female figure

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as in waves

a moving ridge on the surface of water huge swells overwhelmed the tiny craft

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swells

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of swell

as in increases

to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number the club membership has really swelled in recent months

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as in expands

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

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as in protrudes

to extend outward beyond a usual point at that point the Congo River swells and forms Malebo Pool

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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 swells

Noun

When combined with mega high tides and big swells, waves may batter beaches, causing severe erosion. —

Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 27 Mar. 2026 But rather than big Hawaiian swells, these waves were the crashing sounds of social media users poking fun at the look of the upcoming Disney film. —

Angelique Jackson, Variety, 26 Mar. 2026 The water in Tomales Bay, a narrow inlet northeast of Point Reyes, was choppy Saturday, with swells as high as 3 feet, the sheriff’s statement said. —

Alyce McFadden, San Francisco Chronicle, 23 Mar. 2026 Outside those emotional swells, the family was relieved to be together, and free of the dread that had hung over them in New York. —

Caitlin Dickerson, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026 From familiar orchestral swells to ritualized envelope openings, Hollywood’s annual night at the Dolby is uniquely suited for nocturnal drifting. —

Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 27 Feb. 2026 Last year, the swimming portion was canceled because of large swells and the event made a quick pivot by offering a 5K run the night before. —

Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026 Small craft should exercise caution near inlets due to incoming long-period swells. —

Garfield Hylton, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Feb. 2026 The choral elements on the record shine most vividly on the title track, which features polyphonic swells of voices humming melodies, overtaking the piano, dropping and then rising again. —

Hanif Abdurraqib, New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2026

Verb

That was expected to be the last remaining obstacle to the world's biggest sporting event arriving in this 20,000-person suburb tucked between Boston and Providence, Rhode Island, that swells to three times its size for New England Patriots games. —

ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026 The noise of your life recedes and a surge of connectedness and gratitude swells inside of you. —

Outside Online, 18 Mar. 2026 Irene makes an evil smile and heads out as the music swells. —

Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Mar. 2026 Unlike the sleek mansions lining much of California’s shoreline, this unassuming house has always felt like something out of a fisherman’s tale—shrouded in salt spray as swells crash against the rocks below. —

Jennifer Fernandez, Architectural Digest, 6 Mar. 2026 Cocoa Beach is Florida’s ultimate surf-and-sand playground with six miles of golden sand, Atlantic swells for every skill level, and rocket launches visible on the horizon. —

Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 5 Mar. 2026 Hot stones are added, one by one, as the air inside gets heavier, the heat searing the nose and the throat, the sweat starting in rivulets that turn into streams as the smell gets more intense, the heartbeat swells, the mind races. —

Brian Moylan, Vulture, 5 Mar. 2026 When the epiglottis swells, a kid can’t breathe. —

Helen Branswell, STAT, 2 Mar. 2026 When the lights dim and the music swells, the highlight of the day unfolds. —

Duante Beddingfield, Freep.com, 25 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for swells

Noun

The 1996 ad painted a dramatic picture to sell retirement planning, and while some of its projections came surprisingly close, the reality is more nuanced.

— Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2026
But federal budget projections also show the program shrinking as the new work rules kick in, suggesting feeding fewer people is a feature of HR1.

— Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 29 Mar. 2026