swelled; swelled or swollen
ˈswō-lən 
; swelling
; swelling
1
a
: to expand (as in size, volume, or numbers) gradually beyond a normal or original limit
the population swelled
b
: to become distended or puffed up
her ankle is badly swollen
c
: to form a bulge or rounded elevation
2
a
: to become filled with pride and arrogance
b
: to behave or speak in a pompous, blustering, or self-important manner
c
: to play the swell
3
: to become distended with emotion
1
: to affect with a powerful or expansive emotion
2
: to increase the size, number, or intensity of
swell the applicant pool
1
: a long often massive and crestless wave or succession of waves often continuing beyond or after its cause (such as a gale)
2
a
: the condition of being protuberant
b
: a rounded elevation
3
a
: the act or process of swelling
b(1)
: a gradual increase and decrease of the loudness of a musical sound
also
: a sign indicating a swell
(2)
: a device used in an organ for governing loudness
4
a
archaic
: an impressive, pompous, or fashionable air or display
b
: a person dressed in the height of fashion
c
: a person of high social position or outstanding competence
Synonyms
Verb
- accelerate
- accumulate
- appreciate
- balloon
- boom
- build up
- burgeon
- bourgeon
- climb
- enlarge
- escalate
- expand
- gain
- increase
- mount
- multiply
- mushroom
- proliferate
- rise
- roll up
- snowball
- spread
- wax
Noun
Adjective
- A-OK
- A1
- awesome
- bang-up
- banner
- beautiful
- blue-chip
- blue-ribbon
- boffo
- bonny [chiefly British]
- bonnie
- boss [slang]
- brag
- brave
- bully
- bumper
- capital
- choice
- classic
- cool [slang]
- corking
- crackerjack
- cracking
- dandy
- divine
- dope [slang]
- down [slang]
- dynamite
- excellent
- fab
- fabulous
- famous
- fantabulous [slang]
- fantastic
- fine
- first-class
- first-rate
- first-string
- five-star
- four-star
- frontline
- gangbusters
- gangbuster
- gilt-edged
- gilt-edge
- gone [slang]
- grand
- great
- groovy
- heavenly
- high-class
- hot
- hype [slang]
- immense
- jim-dandy
- keen
- lovely
- marvelous
- marvellous
- mean
- neat
- nifty
- noble
- number one
- No. 1
- numero uno
- out-of-sight [slang]
- par excellence
- peachy
- peachy keen
- phat [slang]
- prime
- primo [slang]
- prize
- prizewinning
- quality
- radical [slang]
- righteous [slang]
- sensational
- slick
- splendid
- stellar
- sterling
- superb
- superior
- superlative
- supernal
- terrific
- tip-top
- top
- top-notch
- top-of-the-line
- top-shelf
- topflight
- topping [chiefly British]
- unsurpassed
- wizard [chiefly British]
- wonderful
Examples of swell in a Sentence
Verb
Her broken ankle swelled badly.
Heavy rains swelled the river.
The population has swelled in recent years.
The economy is swelling at an annual rate of five percent.
Immigrants have swelled the population.
Noun
The storm has brought high winds and heavy swells along the coast.
the swell of a pregnant woman's belly
a swell in the population
the swell of the music
Adjective
That was a swell party.
what a swell time we had at the country club dance
Recent Examples on the Web
Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024
The red giant swells in size, its temperature and pressure increasing, and starts to eject its outer layers.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Apr. 2024
Standard side effects include redness, swelling, tenderness or bruising at the injection site, and occasionally a droopy eyelid.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 19 Apr. 2024
Inventory, however, has swelled since then, crossing 100 days last May and peaking at 169 days in February.
—Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik, Quartz, 18 Apr. 2024
By comparison, the typical facelift recovery time includes about three to four weeks of swelling, with patients usually needing pain medication for about four to six days after the procedure.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 17 Apr. 2024
When it’s injected into the skin, patients may experience swelling, bruising and tenderness at the site of injection, and occasional lumps, per WebMD.
—Caroline C. Boyle, USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2024
But while some larger brands are targeting the Sun Belt, where the populations of several states and cities have swelled since the pandemic, Snyder said In-N-Out is keeping its center of gravity on the West Coast.
—Savannah Sellers, NBC News, 17 Apr. 2024
Remove any tight clothing in the event of swelling, and do not drink caffeine or alcohol, which can increase heart rate.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2024
Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Apr. 2024
His modest streaming numbers belie the swell of unclearable underground hits and viral snippets he’s supplied over the past few years.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2024
Looking out toward the Chesapeake used to be an exercise in optimism, in feeling all the possibilities of being connected to the wider world and the terrifyingly wide swell of the Atlantic.
—Rachel Gutman-Wei, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2024
The swell of interest in AI wasn’t enough to offset the 30% decline in investor money that flowed into startups last year, falling to $170.6 billion.
—John Kell, Fortune, 5 Mar. 2024
The swell of protests across the 27-member EU have become a major challenge for leaders, most of whom strongly support Ukraine but are forced to respond to the rising social anger.
—Vanessa Gera, Quartz, 28 Feb. 2024
And the will is developing in the rising swell of discontent with American education.
—Brandon Busteed, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
The Alaskan storm generated a huge ocean swell that was glassier than a champagne flute when the clouds lifted on Saturday afternoon, mesmerizing surfers.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Apr. 2024
Waves batter patios and the homes at high tides, especially when mixed with strong swells.
—Laylan Connelly, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024
Stefanos Chen, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2024
Certificates of deposit, money market funds and other low-risk accounts have seen their yields swell to the delight of savers.
—The Arizona Republic, 7 Jan. 2024
Gibson does a swell job with the direct-address speeches lifted from the Elizabethan master.
—Peter Marks, Washington Post, 1 Nov. 2023
Well, things haven't been swell on the early-00s pop 'It' couple front, with Spears and former boyfriend/boybander Justin Timberlake.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 25 Feb. 2024
Disney World is swell and those rings are the height of athletic bling, but for NFL athletes, the Super Bowl is also about a nice pay bonus.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 12 Feb. 2024
Meanwhile, the upper-income wealthy Americans saw their ranks swell from 25% to 29%, according to Pew data analysis of government data.
—Jack Kelly, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
The site of contact will likely redden and swell like a bee sting.
—Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2023
Microsoft last month saw its market capitalization swell to more than $3 trillion, buoyed by the excitement around generative AI and its cloud platform Azure.
—Will Knight, WIRED, 7 Feb. 2024
Verb
According to a synopsis shared by Deadline, the film follows a detective (Pratt) who is accused of a violent crime and must prove his innocence in a future where capital crime has swelled.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024
The red giant swells in size, its temperature and pressure increasing, and starts to eject its outer layers.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Apr. 2024
Standard side effects include redness, swelling, tenderness or bruising at the injection site, and occasionally a droopy eyelid.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 19 Apr. 2024
Inventory, however, has swelled since then, crossing 100 days last May and peaking at 169 days in February.
—Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik, Quartz, 18 Apr. 2024
By comparison, the typical facelift recovery time includes about three to four weeks of swelling, with patients usually needing pain medication for about four to six days after the procedure.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 17 Apr. 2024
When it’s injected into the skin, patients may experience swelling, bruising and tenderness at the site of injection, and occasional lumps, per WebMD.
—Caroline C. Boyle, USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2024
But while some larger brands are targeting the Sun Belt, where the populations of several states and cities have swelled since the pandemic, Snyder said In-N-Out is keeping its center of gravity on the West Coast.
—Savannah Sellers, NBC News, 17 Apr. 2024
Remove any tight clothing in the event of swelling, and do not drink caffeine or alcohol, which can increase heart rate.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2024
Noun
TxDOT began renovating a four-mile stretch near Saginaw in November 2019 — a $49 million undertaking designed to accommodate the swell of residents and traffic in the area.
—Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Apr. 2024
His modest streaming numbers belie the swell of unclearable underground hits and viral snippets he’s supplied over the past few years.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2024
Looking out toward the Chesapeake used to be an exercise in optimism, in feeling all the possibilities of being connected to the wider world and the terrifyingly wide swell of the Atlantic.
—Rachel Gutman-Wei, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2024
The swell of interest in AI wasn’t enough to offset the 30% decline in investor money that flowed into startups last year, falling to $170.6 billion.
—John Kell, Fortune, 5 Mar. 2024
The swell of protests across the 27-member EU have become a major challenge for leaders, most of whom strongly support Ukraine but are forced to respond to the rising social anger.
—Vanessa Gera, Quartz, 28 Feb. 2024
And the will is developing in the rising swell of discontent with American education.
—Brandon Busteed, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
The Alaskan storm generated a huge ocean swell that was glassier than a champagne flute when the clouds lifted on Saturday afternoon, mesmerizing surfers.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Apr. 2024
Waves batter patios and the homes at high tides, especially when mixed with strong swells.
—Laylan Connelly, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024
Adjective
The need for public aid is clear at Grand Street Settlement, a nonprofit social services group in Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn that has seen its food pantry lines swell to 2,800 people a month, up from 500 before the pandemic.
—Stefanos Chen, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2024
Certificates of deposit, money market funds and other low-risk accounts have seen their yields swell to the delight of savers.
—The Arizona Republic, 7 Jan. 2024
Gibson does a swell job with the direct-address speeches lifted from the Elizabethan master.
—Peter Marks, Washington Post, 1 Nov. 2023
Well, things haven't been swell on the early-00s pop 'It' couple front, with Spears and former boyfriend/boybander Justin Timberlake.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 25 Feb. 2024
Disney World is swell and those rings are the height of athletic bling, but for NFL athletes, the Super Bowl is also about a nice pay bonus.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 12 Feb. 2024
Meanwhile, the upper-income wealthy Americans saw their ranks swell from 25% to 29%, according to Pew data analysis of government data.
—Jack Kelly, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
The site of contact will likely redden and swell like a bee sting.
—Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2023
Microsoft last month saw its market capitalization swell to more than $3 trillion, buoyed by the excitement around generative AI and its cloud platform Azure.
—Will Knight, WIRED, 7 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'swell.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to swell
Dictionary Entries Near swell
Cite this Entry
“Swell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swell. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
swell
1 of 3 verb
swelled; swelled or swollen
ˈswō-lən
; swelling
; swelling
1
a
: to expand (as in size, volume, or numbers) gradually beyond a normal or original limit
rivers swollen by rain
the population swelled
b
: to become abnormally enlarged or puffed up
the sprained ankle swelled badly
c
: to form a bulge or lump
2
: to fill or become filled with pride
3
: to fill or become filled with emotion
his heart was swollen with jealousy
swell
2 of 3 noun1
a
: a rounded lump
b
: the condition of bulging
2
: a long rolling wave or series of waves in the open sea
3
: a gradual increase and decrease of the loudness of a musical sound
also
: a sign marking a swell
4
: a fashionably dressed person
swell
3 of 3 adjective
: very good : excellent
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