1
as in increased
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number
the club membership has really swelled in recent months
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in expanded
to make greater in size, amount, or number
more layoffs will swell the ranks of the unemployed to unprecedented levels
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in protruded
to extend outward beyond a usual point
at that point the Congo River swells and forms Malebo Pool
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of swelled
Crowds around the Garden swelled past 10,000 people Wednesday night.
—
Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 14 June 2026
The defensive sideline erupted, and Morrison’s chest swelled.
—Rick Stroud, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 June 2026
But SpaceX, Anthropic and OpenAI swelled to tremendous sizes thanks to dollars from private investors, including pension funds, companies and rich investors, away from the public market.
—Stan Choe, Fortune, 13 June 2026
Even on a 90-degree day, when my feet swelled after hours of walking, the laces felt comfy rather than restrictive.
—Jacqueline Tempera, PEOPLE, 13 June 2026
American ingenuity soon swelled the millionaire class to include titans of tobacco, steel, banking, even refrigerated railcars.
—Chase Peterson-Withorn, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
Interest for supporters is swelled by Ferdi Kadioglu (Turkey), Maxim De Cuyper (Belgium), Yasin Ayari (Sweden), Pascal Gross (Germany) and Diego Gomez (Paraguay).
—Andy Naylor, New York Times, 10 June 2026
My calves and thighs often throbbed, my waist ached and my knees swelled.
—Literary Hub, 8 June 2026
In 2002, these people gained the right to work and study in the country without a visa, and since then the nation’s population has swelled by nearly two million.
—Jessi Jezewska Stevens, New Yorker, 8 June 2026
Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 14 June 2026
The defensive sideline erupted, and Morrison’s chest swelled.
—Rick Stroud, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 June 2026
But SpaceX, Anthropic and OpenAI swelled to tremendous sizes thanks to dollars from private investors, including pension funds, companies and rich investors, away from the public market.
—Stan Choe, Fortune, 13 June 2026
Even on a 90-degree day, when my feet swelled after hours of walking, the laces felt comfy rather than restrictive.
—Jacqueline Tempera, PEOPLE, 13 June 2026
American ingenuity soon swelled the millionaire class to include titans of tobacco, steel, banking, even refrigerated railcars.
—Chase Peterson-Withorn, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
Interest for supporters is swelled by Ferdi Kadioglu (Turkey), Maxim De Cuyper (Belgium), Yasin Ayari (Sweden), Pascal Gross (Germany) and Diego Gomez (Paraguay).
—Andy Naylor, New York Times, 10 June 2026
My calves and thighs often throbbed, my waist ached and my knees swelled.
—Literary Hub, 8 June 2026
In 2002, these people gained the right to work and study in the country without a visa, and since then the nation’s population has swelled by nearly two million.
—Jessi Jezewska Stevens, New Yorker, 8 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swelled
Verb
-
Rainbow flick The chances of seeing this skill — some might call it a circus act — being performed at the World Cup this summer increased significantly on the back of Neymar being named in the Brazil squad.—
Stuart James,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
-
Economic output has also increased, up 24% over the same period, government data show.—
Jamey Keaten,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
The cabin was expanded to include sleep spaces and communal dining areas for ski students—thousands of Icelanders would pass through every summer season.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 June 2026
-
The legacy of rules dates back to 1972, initially shaped by choreographer Texie Waterman and expanded during Suzanne Mitchell's directorship from 1976 to 1989.—
Maddie Garfinkle,
PEOPLE,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
The problem was that many of them protruded from the front of vehicles like miniature medieval weapons.—
Peter Lyon,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
-
In his right leg, Adin's tibia bone was broken in half and protruded through the skin.—
Lexi Lane,
PEOPLE,
7 June 2026
Verb
-
Two Canada geese and six gangly brown-suède goslings walked among the refuse, while in the near distance the truck horns and the protesters’ chants rose up.—
Ian Frazier,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
-
The deal comes after the Consumer Price Index in May rose to its highest level in more than three years, with energy prices accounting for more than 60% of the monthly inflation increase.—
Aimee Picchi,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
On a sunny day in late May, a brand-new Mazda CX-5 was accelerated to about 40 mph and driven toward a stationary object with the express purpose of testing whether the vehicle would hit it.—
Keith Laing,
USA Today,
16 June 2026
-
China’s economic imbalance worsened in May as retail sales fell at the fastest pace in years, while industrial output accelerated, new data showed.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
The view was uncommonly broad, and the city skyline poked out of the eastern sky.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
16 June 2026
-
Jo Adell poked a tying single through the infield moments later.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
The Brazilian won the fight and climbed the Octagon fence in victory.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
15 June 2026
-
The major indexes climbed to end a volatile week.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
That rare combination boosted both demand and buying power, sending homes flying off the market and prices rising.—
Chuck Bonfiglio,
Sun Sentinel,
14 June 2026
-
That victory boosted the Americans into the Round of 16.—
Michael Lewis,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swelled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swelled. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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