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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Relevance

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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

The surf in Los Angeles County, while large, wasn’t as big as Orange County due to offshore islands blocking the swells into the Santa Monica Bay, said Los Angeles Fire Department Lifeguard Capt. —

Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 11 June 2026 Law enforcement broke up emotional swells from people on both sides. —

Marvin Hurst, CBS News, 10 June 2026 Learn to ride Atlantic swells from expert instructors in towns like Lagos. —

Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 10 June 2026 The south shore of Kauai—like most Hawaiian islands—sees bigger swells during the summer months, while the north shore has bigger waves in the winter. —

Brianna Randall, Forbes.com, 30 May 2026 González pledged to help northern towns including Loiza, where people have been evacuated and chunks of asphalt from coastal roads have tumbled into the ocean following heavy swells. —

ABC News, 27 May 2026 Weather conditions at the time were severe, with high winds and rough swells of more than 13 feet. —

Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 19 May 2026 Jan Jansen, captured on the swells of the Atlantic by Muslim pirates, left behind a wife and four daughters in his native Haarlem. —

Literary Hub, 14 May 2026 The most harrowing experience of the crew’s Pacific crossing came a few days into the row when huge swells brought seasickness and harsh conditions. —

Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2026

Verb

Summer has already kicked off with beefy surf up and down the coastline, with moderate southern hemisphere swells bringing waves in the 3-to 5-foot range at many spots the past week. —

Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 7 June 2026 The beach town swells with visitors in the summer, though surfers flock here any time of year for the classic surf break Plage de Lafitenia and big waves surf spot Belharra. —

Anne Olivia Bauso, Travel + Leisure, 21 May 2026 Throughout, visiting tourist Madeleine (Kristen Stewart) stuffs her face with every kind of meat, vegetable and carb while her father Phil (Woody Harrelson) is the one whose stomach miraculously swells. —

Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 17 May 2026 Buffett recently acknowledged displeasure with the investing backdrop as Berkshire's cash hoard swells to a record nearing $400 billion. —

Yun Li, CNBC, 15 May 2026 During the expedition’s first ten days, the ship navigated a strong storm, with ocean swells reaching two to three metres. —

Akash Kapur, New Yorker, 12 May 2026 The guilt swells and swells while the sweater sits and sits. —

Liana Satenstein, Vogue, 8 May 2026 As the orchestra swells, a voice slowly surfaces. —

Ben Cardew, Pitchfork, 2 May 2026 Backlash swells to Russia web crackdown Public backlash is growing in Russia in response to Moscow’s efforts to tighten control over the internet. —

Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 30 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for swells

Noun

That meeting will also include the release of the next summary of economic projections.

— Sarah Min, CNBC, 5 June 2026
Brown and yellow bullheads have the rear edge of their pectoral fin spine serrated with sharp tooth-like projections.

— Ken Perrotte, Outdoor Life, 4 June 2026