billow
verb [I] /ˈbɪl.əʊ/
/-oʊ/ Definition
› to spread over a large area, or (especially of things made of cloth) to become filled with air and appear to be larger: Smoke billowed (out) from the burning building. The sheets/shirts hanging on the line billowed in the breeze. We watched the boats with their billowing sails.Spreading and scatteringBecoming biggerEnlarging and inflating billow noun [C usually plural] › billows of smokeClouds, dew, fog and steam
(Definition of billow verb from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus
© Cambridge University Press)
Browse related topics
You are looking at an entry to do with Becoming bigger, but you might be interested in these topics from the Size and quantity topic area:
- Also, extra, and in addition
- Augmenting and supplementing
- Available and accessible
- Becoming and making smaller or less
- Big and quite big
- Enlarging and inflating
- Enormous
- Enough
- Extremely small
- General words for size and amount
- Increasing and intensifying
- Large in number or quantity
- Masses and large amounts of things
- Maximum and minimum
- Medium-sized
- Merely and barely
- Plenty and abundant
- Scarce, inadequate and not enough
- Small
- Small in number and quantity
- Some and quite
- Someone, anyone, no one or everyone
- Something, anything, nothing, and everything
- Things collected in lines or rings
- Things remaining
- Too much and unnecessary
- Unavailable and inaccessible
- Unlimited
- Words meaning small pieces and amounts
Browse the Dictionary
Browse the Thesaurus
SMART Thesaurus
Synonyms and related words:
- accrual noun
- accrue verb
- balloon verb
- bloat verb
- bloated adjective (SWOLLEN)
- broaden out phrasal verb
- build (sb/sth) up phrasal verb
- bulge verb
- enlargement noun
- expansion noun
- extend verb (INCREASE)
- extend verb (REACH)
- extend verb (STRETCH)
- grow up phrasal verb (CITY)
- lengthen verb
- outgrow verb (SIZE)
- puff sth up phrasal verb
- puff up phrasal verb
- stretch verb (MAKE LONGER)
- swell verb
Topic:
Becoming bigger
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Word of the Day
Blog
Read our blog about how the English language behaves.
New Words
Find words and meanings that have just started to be used in English, and let us know what you think of them.
