as in to protrude
to extend outward beyond a usual point
the curtains in the open windows billowed in the summer wind
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of billow
Katie Primm, NBC news, 9 May 2025
Video posted to social media shows passengers scrambling onto a wing of the aircraft as heavy smoke billows from an engine.
—Matt Leclercq, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Mar. 2025
Jane Arraf, NPR, 13 June 2025
Footage shows multiple Waymo vehicles engulfed in flames, with an intense amount of smoke billowing into the air.
—Zach Lachance, The Washington Examiner, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for billow
Noun
Black smoke billows after a pair of inconclusive votes, while white smoke will immediately billow if a new pontiff is chosen.
—Katie Primm, NBC news, 9 May 2025
Video posted to social media shows passengers scrambling onto a wing of the aircraft as heavy smoke billows from an engine.
—Matt Leclercq, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Mar. 2025
Verb
Sirens blared throughout Tel Aviv and smoke billowed in the sky as people ran for shelter as Iran launched retaliatory strikes against Israel on Friday night.
—Jane Arraf, NPR, 13 June 2025
Footage shows multiple Waymo vehicles engulfed in flames, with an intense amount of smoke billowing into the air.
—Zach Lachance, The Washington Examiner, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for billow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for billow
Noun
-
The next big wave of digital transformation is being driven by agentic AI.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
-
Conquering the Pacer comeback wave feels like the final breakthrough.—
Chris Branch,
New York Times,
17 June 2025
Verb
-
The first-gen roam the mainland naked because of the idea that their clothes disintegrated long ago, and their appearances are characterized by veins that protrude from their body in revolting knots.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
20 June 2025
-
After making sure the point is protruding slightly from one side of the bait, take the extra few seconds to remove scales all around the point.—
Joe Cermele,
Outdoor Life,
19 June 2025
Noun
-
Winds were at 30 knots, generating 6-foot to 8-foot swells.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
23 June 2025
-
To the right of the eye, life-threatening storm surge will produce coastal flooding, large waves, swells, and rip currents.—
Marshall Shepherd,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2025
Verb
-
Cunningham came to the defense of her teammate Clark, retaliating with less than a minute left on the clock after, earlier in the game, the Fever's superstar player was poked in the eye and then knocked to the ground by two separate Sun players.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 June 2025
-
Then, during a play midway through the third quarter, Clark got poked in the eye by Sheldon and responded by giving the Sun star another shove.—
Chuck Schilken,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2025
Verb
-
If the surface bulges outward at that point, then the flow moves inward.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
31 Mar. 2025
-
Photos posted online showed the snake arrived at a Virginia animal hospital with a bulging body.—
Simone Jasper,
Miami Herald,
6 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Billow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/billow. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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