1
: wave
especially
: a great wave or surge of water
the rolling billows of the sea
2
: a rolling mass (as of flame or smoke) that resembles a high wave
Billows of smoke poured out of the building.
billows of fog
billowed; billowing; billows
1
: to rise or roll in waves or surges
the billowing sea
2
: to bulge or swell out (as through action of the wind)
billowing clouds
… the flags … billowed out in pride …—
G. B. Oxnam
G. B. Oxnam
: to cause to billow
a field of burning grass billowing thick black clouds of smoke into the sky—Donald Windham
Donald WindhamExamples of billow in a Sentence
Noun
Billows of smoke poured out of the burning building.
the rolling billows of the sea
Verb
the curtains in the open windows billowed in the summer wind
Recent Examples on the Web
Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Sep. 2025
Rapace’s kit — with that long thoroughbred stride somehow made greater by the black grosgrain stripes, the velocity of it all filling that billow in the cape — cut a blistering path down the Bugonia carpet.
—Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Ana Karina Zatarain, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2025
Videos circulating online and featured in Chineses state-run media showed plumes of smoke billowing from one of the vehicles, while fire trucks and ambulances raced to the scene.
—John Liu, CNN Money, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for billow
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.
Noun
Smoke billows during Israeli strikes on the Mushtaha Tower in Gaza City on September 5, 2025, amid the war between Israel and the Hamas militant movement.
—Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Sep. 2025
Rapace’s kit — with that long thoroughbred stride somehow made greater by the black grosgrain stripes, the velocity of it all filling that billow in the cape — cut a blistering path down the Bugonia carpet.
—Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Verb
He was dressed in a white tank top, a billowing black organza jacket, and distressed jeans that, in lieu of a belt, were held up by cellophane tape.
—Ana Karina Zatarain, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2025
Videos circulating online and featured in Chineses state-run media showed plumes of smoke billowing from one of the vehicles, while fire trucks and ambulances raced to the scene.
—John Liu, CNN Money, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for billow
Cite this Entry
“Billow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/billow. Accessed 26 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
billow
1 of 2 noun
bil·low
ˈbil-ō 
1
: wave entry 2 sense 1
especially
: a large wave
2
: a rolling mass like a high wave
billows of smoke
billow
2 of 2 verb1
: to rise or roll in waves
the billowing ocean
2
: to bulge or swell out
sails billowing in the breeze
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share