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

Every morning, before surfers paddled out, the longtime Venice resident described swells, winds and surf conditions to his followers, becoming for some the town’s trusted surf chronicler. — Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026 The remnants of that storm also are causing big swells of waves in the ocean, and those are expected to keep having an impact on Bay Area beaches. — Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 8 Sep. 2026 The storm could generate strong swells for portions of Mexico’s southwestern coast and Baja California through the weekend, and perhaps Southern California, too, according to the hurricane center. — Denise Chow, NBC news, 4 Sep. 2026 Depending on the exact track of the storm, these swells are likely to increase early next week. — Doyle Rice, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026 Additionally, life-threatening surf and rip currents are expected from swells generated by the depression. — Marshall Shepherd, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026 Experts have long said Southern California’s sand predominantly migrates south; however, a closer look shows that slow summer swells and other seasonal conditions sometimes push smaller amounts of sediment north. — Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Aug. 2026 O’Shea said the El Niño pattern, combined with swells, could produce elevated surf throughout the summer. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2026

Verb

The space suddenly swells with agents, assistants, clients and others shuffling through for lunch. — Oren Peleg, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026 The impact jostled loose a few petals before the circle of blossoms slowly drifted away on the luminescent blue Bermudian swells. — Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026 How levees work Levees are earthen embankments positioned parallel to a river that effectively raise the height of the banks of the river to prevent overflow when the river swells. — Kaleigh Yost, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2026 Although no coastal watches or warnings were in effect, swells generated by Marie will continue to affect portions of southwest Mexico, the Baja California peninsula and Southern California for the next few days, the hurricane center said. — ABC News, 6 Sep. 2026 But swells from the south could reach the Central Coast and Bay Area. — Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026 The chassis swells slightly to accommodate its nine-function toolset but still measures in with a length and width TJB compares to a pack of gum – and not one of those big desktop canisters, either. — New Atlas, 1 Sep. 2026 While the hurricane is not expected to make landfall, swells created by the hurricane could affect the coast of southwest Mexico and Baja California, as well as Southern California, per the National Hurricane Center. — Julia Gomez, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026 In her twenties, the compositions began to rise and fall on the page like ocean swells. — Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for swells

Noun

In its latest projections, shared at the 70th General Conference in Vienna, the agency says global nuclear capacity could reach 1,284 GWe by 2060 if the most optimistic scenario plays out.

— Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 15 Sep. 2026
The projections of both teams being near the top of the list seem dead on, as both teams showed a high ceiling.

— Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2026

Definition of projections

Noun

Their experiment shows how magnetic waves inside the material can imprint microwave signals onto laser light.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026
Gay Rogers, who has lived with the flooding for 50 years, said speeding cars regularly send waves of water splashing to her front door, leaving trash scattered across her lawn.

— Joan Murray, CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of waves

Verb

Why wouldn’t the players want a system that pays them a larger share of the overall revenue, increases their salary minimums and gives them earlier access to arbitration eligibility and free agency?

— Jim Bowden, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Even people who carry the APOE4 gene, which increases the risk of later-in-life Alzheimer’s, still benefited from a healthier middle age.

— Lauran Neergaard, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of increases

Verb

Anything that protrudes above the shallow, insulating snow cover is more prone to being damaged by the cold and wind or eaten by wildlife, said plant ecologist Anne Bjorkman of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Aug. 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

Noun

Bra bands that dig in and have minimal side coverage can create bulges under your tops and dresses, but this under-$20 Warners style does the opposite, according to shoppers.

— Jeaneen Russell, PEOPLE, 2 Sep. 2026
During matches earlier this year, bulges could be seen in the shoulder seams on jerseys for teams including France and Uruguay, the Guardian reported.

— Claire Rush, Fortune, 28 June 2026

Definition of bulges

Verb

As close cycles compress and reporting accelerates, finance professionals can spend less time on reconciliation and number crunching and more time on analysis and business partnership.

— Hemant Kapadia, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
As the aircraft accelerates and the conditions become suitable for ramjet operation, airflow can be redirected so that the ramjet becomes the primary source of propulsion.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 10 Sep. 2026