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
Examples 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 billow
Sam Meredith, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2024
Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Lebanon's eastern city of Baalbeck in the Bekaa Valley on Wednesday.
—Carmen Sesin, NBC News, 26 Sep. 2024
Kc Baker, People.com, 27 Oct. 2024
Dark smoke could be seen billowing in the sky from miles away.
—Tracy Neal, arkansasonline.com, 17 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for billow 
Noun
Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a neighborhood in Beirut’s southern suburb early on September 28, 2024.
—Sam Meredith, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2024
Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Lebanon's eastern city of Baalbeck in the Bekaa Valley on Wednesday.
—Carmen Sesin, NBC News, 26 Sep. 2024
Verb
On the morning of July 9, 2012, black smoke billowed through the skies above Upperville, Va., when a fire broke out at a small cottage, engulfing it in flames.
—Kc Baker, People.com, 27 Oct. 2024
Dark smoke could be seen billowing in the sky from miles away.
—Tracy Neal, arkansasonline.com, 17 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for billow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for billow
Noun
-
Two waves of bombing followed, one late Wednesday and another early Thursday.Reuters, NBC News, 7 Nov. 2024
-
Early polls showing as many as twenty-seven per cent of younger Black men supporting Trump caused a wave of anguish among Democrats.The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
-
Elsewhere in the stream, Kodak attempts to have a normal conversation with the Twitch streamer before totally bugging out, protruding his eyes with a face full of sweat.Marc Griffin, VIBE.com, 5 Nov. 2024
-
The discovery sheds light on why arthropods evolved appendages protruding out of their heads.Katie Hunt, CNN, 29 Oct. 2024
Noun
-
The winds from the swell aren't expected to be strong enough to cause damage, but more winds arriving in Southern California this weekend could have stronger impacts.Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024
-
Democrats are pushing a resolution condemning the swell of disinformation peddled about recent major hurricanes that hit the Eastern Seaboard, including by politicians.Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill, 1 Nov. 2024
Verb
-
Sometimes, the cop even pokes fun at the suspect’s inability to sprint, calling them out for being out of shape.Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
-
The Russian and Chinese militaries are exercising with each other more regularly and even poking the U.S. in the eye on occasion — in July, the U.S. Air Force intercepted a few Russian and Chinese bomber aircraft operating in Alaska’s Air Defense Identification Zone.Daniel DePetris, Twin Cities, 3 Nov. 2024
Verb
-
My friends were confused by my abrupt stop and the frightened and befuddled look on my face — except for one, whose eyes were also bulging wide.Thomas Wheatley, Axios, 31 Oct. 2024
-
Prior to stepping out into space, Gillis reported seeing seals around the hatch that appear to be bulging.Denise Chow, NBC News, 12 Sep. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near billow
Cite this Entry
“Billow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/billow. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share