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

As Tchaikovsky’s familiar score swells in the historic Lyric Opera House, Marie and the Nutcracker Prince float through the enchanting fairgrounds of Chicago’s famed 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. — Allison Yates, Midwest Living, 3 Nov. 2026 On top of that, there’s a good chance of large swells being whipped up by winter storms, said meteorologist Munroe, adding to the sea level. — Sean Greene, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026 Downes’ organ swells around her in sweeping, almost flutelike figures, taking the sour tones of her earlier keyboard work and stripping them down to evangelical simplicity. — Emma Madden, Pitchfork, 28 Oct. 2026 California did not experience any rain or wind before massive swells overtook Laguna Beach, where a portion of the PCH remains closed as sections crack and slide down toward the ocean. — Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2026 Mentions of data centers have, predictably, shot up across all three networks in recent months as political backlash against AI swells and the data centers themselves have become a salient issue ahead of the midterms. — J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 12 Oct. 2026 Rachel’s swells are expected to generate life-threatening surf and rip-current conditions off Mexico’s coast, the NHC warned. — Fabiola Sanchez, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026

Verb

The most recent first Kelvin wave arrived around the same time that swells from former Hurricane Rachel hit in early October, and sent seawater crashing into homes on the Long Beach Peninsula and covered Newport Beach’s Balboa Peninsula with water. — Sean Greene, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026 Her nearly 2-year-old daughter, Siobhan, had bacterial meningitis, a life-threatening infection that swells tissue around the brain and spinal cord. — CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026 Situated in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the population swells in the summer months. — Eva Flowe, Charlotte Observer, 23 Oct. 2026 The Seaglider is designed to handle ocean swells up to a meter and a half high. — IEEE Spectrum, 22 Oct. 2026 These wetlands, connected to the river, act as natural reservoirs that absorb and hold water, especially when the river swells with meltwater or heavy rain. — Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026 Each month, roughly a dozen are consistently in the audience, though the number swells depending on the agenda. — Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Oct. 2026 The ballad finds Fontaines’ Grian Chatten and Rosalía trading lines over a moody acoustic strum that repeatedly swells with strings and clattering drums. — Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2026 The greatest concern is high tide through Sunday morning and swells from the remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel could create dangerous conditions with beach erosion and seawater once again flooding beach roads and paths. — ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for swells

Noun

Amid projections of a Democratic blue wave, as voters head to the polls, several pivotal races are too close for all the experts to comfortably predict.

— Ruairí Arrieta-Kenna, Time, 3 Nov. 2026
Rosters have been reshaped by the transfer portal, freshmen are playing their first real minutes, and lines are set more on projections than results.

— OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of projections

Noun

For three decades, Democratic Assemblyman Bill Colton weathered red waves, tsunamis, and everything in between by building an organization focused on constituent service, solving neighborhood problems, and bringing residents into civic life.

— Joey Saban, New York Daily News, 6 Nov. 2026
There’s a crack in one of the home’s two foundations, and interior damage from waves breaking into the lower levels.

— Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of waves

Verb

Coordinating updates across replicas increases communication overhead.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2026
CrowdStrike and other cyber companies, like fellow Club holding Palo Alto Networks , have been warning that the proliferation of AI agents increases digital vulnerabilities exponentially and call for a new kind of security.

— Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of increases

Verb

As artificial intelligence capital expenditure expands, market attention extends beyond fundraising capacity and buyback sustainability to whether this investment cycle can persist, and how much volatility a slowdown might induce.

— , CNBC, 4 Nov. 2026
More persistent cases may be treated with a procedure that expands the joint capsule or, less commonly, surgery.

— Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of expands

Verb

Ping Ping, the male, has dark black circles around his eyes, while Fu Shuang, the female, has a forehead that protrudes a bit, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

— ABC News, ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026
Other animals on-site include a stable full of horses and Cowboy the tortoise, who is about the size of a lawnmower and whose head protrudes from what looks like a Venus flytrap made of bone.

— Emma Madden, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of protrudes

Verb

South Korea's strong economic growth has been driven largely by semiconductor exports as global demand for computing power rises with the AI boom.

— Lim Hui Jie,Jenny Lee, CNBC, 2 Nov. 2026
For those graduating from the École de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne (ECSCP), which was folded into the IFM in 2019 and focuses on fashion and couture craft and technique, the ratio rises to nearly 100 percent.

— Miles Socha, Footwear News, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of rises

Verb

Its electric motor drives the fan, which accelerates air backward to produce forward thrust.

— Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 1 Nov. 2026
Google just posted two quarters of negative free cash flow for the first time on record as AI spending accelerates while revenue isn’t growing as fast as expected.

— Lucy Bayly, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2026