Synonyms for billow

Most common

surge · heave · inflate · wallow

Synonyms by meaning

Verb

Noun

Definitions

1. v. 1

   To surge or roll in billows.

2. v. 2

   To swell out or bulge.

3. n. 1

   A large wave, swell, surge, or undulating mass of something, such as water, smoke, fabric or sound.

Forms

Plural

billows → waves, seas, curls, spirals…

Past participle

billowed
e.g. billowed → surged, heaved, ballooned, inflated…

Example sentences

• surge We're witnessing a surge in Algerian nationalism.
• heave This ship is outfitted with a windlass to heave up the anchor.
• inflate Ziri struggled to inflate the balloon.
• wallow A pig will wallow in the mud in order to cool down.

Popularity over time

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters

sea¹

4 letters

wave¹, curl¹

5 letters

surge¹, swell¹, heave¹

6 letters

spiral², wallow²

7 letters

balloon², breaker², inflate²

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (spiral² = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français

ondoyer

Italiano

ondeggiare

Deutsch

flackern

Català

flamejar