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

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 The island nation, vulnerable to the whims of the Atlantic, has officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Danish firm Wavepiston to turn those crashing swells into a 50 MW power source. —

Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 5 Feb. 2026 Inspired by 20th-century composers like Bartók and Britten, the Blue Nile consciously avoid the traditional pop song structures in favor of patient swells of intensity. —

Sam Sodomsky, Pitchfork, 1 Feb. 2026 Even as the contestants arrive to begin the season, an important rowing portion of today's marooning challenge remains up in the air due to tumultuous swells. —

Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Jan. 2026

Verb

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 As the arrangement swells, her layers of vocals begin to blend together—one line scatting while another rises in a chant. —

Precious Fondren, Pitchfork, 24 Feb. 2026 If inspiration swells later, let heart and practicality share the lead. —

Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 19 Feb. 2026 Small craft should exercise caution near inlets due to long period swells, according to NWS Melbourne. —

Garfield Hylton, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for swells

Noun

That means already dire projections about sea level rise might be underestimating the risk.

— Doyle Rice, USA Today, 9 Mar. 2026
Ticket sales were drastically behind the studio’s projections of $16 million to $18 million, as well as rivals and independent tracking services, which offered a more conservative estimate of $10 million to $15 million.

— Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 8 Mar. 2026