Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense swells, present participle swelling, past tense, past participle swelled, past participle swollenlanguage note: The forms swelled and swollen are both used as the past participle.
1. verb
If the amount or size of something swells or if something swells it, it becomes larger than it was before.
The human population swelled, at least temporarily, as migrants moved south. [VERB]
By the end of this month the size of the mission is expected to swell to 280 people. [Vto/by n]
His bank balance has swelled by £222,000 in the last three weeks. [V + to/by]
Offers from other countries should swell the force to 35,000. [VERB noun + to]
...the ever-swelling numbers of the homeless. [VERB-ing]
Its population is swollen by 360,000 refugees. [VERB-ed]
[Also VERB noun]
Synonyms: increase, rise, grow, mount More Synonyms of swell
2. verb
If something such as a part of your body swells, it becomes larger and rounder than normal.
Do your ankles swell at night? [VERB]
The limbs swell to an enormous size. [VERB + to]
Synonyms: expand, increase, grow, rise More Synonyms of swell
Swell up means the same as swell.
When you develop a throat infection or catch a cold the glands in the neck swellup. [VERBPARTICLE]
3. verb
If you swellwith a feeling, you are suddenly full of that feeling.
[literary]
She could see her two sons swell with pride. [VERB + with]
Synonyms: be filled, be full, be overcome, brim More Synonyms of swell
4. verb
If sounds swell, they get louder.
[literary]
Heavenly music swelled from nowhere. [VERB]
Synonyms: become louder, intensify, amplify, become loud More Synonyms of swell
5. countable noun
A swell is the regular movement of waves up and down in the open sea.
We bobbed gently up and down on the swell of the incoming tide.
Synonyms: wave, rise, surge, billow More Synonyms of swell
6. adjective
You can describe something as swell if you think it is really nice.
[US, informal]
I've had a swell time.
Synonyms: wonderful, excellent, superb, marvellous More Synonyms of swell
7. See also swelling, swollen, groundswell
Phrasal verbs:
See swell up
More Synonyms of swell
swell in British English
(swɛl)
verbWord forms: swells, swelling, swelled, swollen or swelled
1.
to grow or cause to grow in size, esp as a result of internal pressure
Compare contract (sense 1), contract (sense 3)
2.
to expand or cause to expand at a particular point or above the surrounding level; protrude
3.
to grow or cause to grow in size, amount, intensity, or degree
the party is swelling with new recruits
4.
to puff or be puffed up with pride or another emotion
5. (intransitive)
(of seas or lakes) to rise in waves
6. (intransitive)
to well up or overflow
7. (transitive)
to make (a musical phrase) increase gradually in volume and then diminish
noun
8.
a.
the undulating movement of the surface of the open sea
b.
a succession of waves or a single large wave
9.
a swelling or being swollen; expansion
10.
an increase in quantity or degree; inflation
11.
a bulge; protuberance
12.
a gentle hill
13. informal
a person who is very fashionably dressed
14. informal
a man of high social or political standing
15. music
a crescendo followed by an immediate diminuendo
16. Also called: swell organ music
a.
a set of pipes on an organ housed in a box (swell box) fitted with a shutter operated by a pedal, which can be opened or closed to control the volume
b.
the manual on an organ controlling this
Compare choir (sense 4), great (sense 21)
adjective
17. informal
stylish or grand
18. slang
excellent; first-class
Word origin
Old English swellan; related to Old Norse svella, Old Frisian swella, German schwellen
swell in American English
(swɛl)
verb intransitiveWord forms: swelled, swelled or ˈswollen, ˈswelling
1.
to increase in volume or become larger as a result of pressure from within; expand;dilate
2.
to become larger at a particular point; curve out; bulge; protrude
3.
to extend beyond or above the normal or surrounding level
4.
to form swells, or large waves
said of the sea
5.
to be or become filled (with pride, indignation, self-importance, etc.)
6.
to increase within a person, as a feeling
the anger swelling in him
7.
to increase in size, force, intensity, degree, etc.
membership swelled to a thousand
8.
to increase in volume or loudness
verb transitive
9.
to cause to swell
; specif.,
a.
to cause to increase in size, volume, extent, degree, etc.
b.
to cause to bulge or protrude
c.
to fill with pride, indignation, etc.; inflate; puff
d.
to cause (a tone, chord, etc.) to increase in loudness
noun
10.
a part that swells, bulge; curve; protuberance
; specif.,
a.
a large wave that moves steadily without breaking
b.
a piece of rising ground; rounded hill or slope
11.
a swelling or being swollen
12.
an increase in size, amount, extent, degree, etc.
13. Informal
a.
a person who is strikingly stylish, esp. in dress
b.
a person of social prominence
14.
an increase in loudness of sound
15. Music
a.
a gradual increase in volume (crescendo), usually followed by a gradual decrease (decrescendo)
b.
a sign (< >) indicating this
c.
a device for controlling the loudness of tones, as in an organ
adjective
16. Informal
stylish; very fashionable
17. Slang
first-rate; excellent
a generalized epithet of approval
SIMILAR WORDS: exˈpand
Word origin
ME swellen < OE swellan; akin to Ger schwellen, ON svella
Examples of 'swell' in a sentence
swell
Not to mention the huge swell in people kitted out and taking the sport seriously.
The Sun (2012)
He was bruised and it swelled up.
The Sun (2013)
The rope moves gently in the swell.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Punishment cannot hold back the swelling tides of the social chaos that cause this delinquency.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Would that the wave might subside smoothly into the gentle swell of history.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
You have to be sensitive to light airs there and swelling seas.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
There is a ground swell of anger and people now feel that their voice is being heard.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
You always feel a little bit swollen but that comes with the territory.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The flesh around his eyes was swollen now.
Tepper, Sheri S. A Plague of Angels (1993)
My foot swelled to the size of a melon.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
These results will swell women with pride.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Her ankle was really swollen and it went b lack because of the bruising.
The Sun (2009)
The next day the wounds turned septic and her body swelled up.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Now his head is swollen and turned purple and yellow.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Dark waves swell and roll all around us.
Christianity Today (2000)
The next day my foot was swollen and bruised.
The Sun (2012)
By this time my neck was quite swollen.
The Sun (2014)
It also causes my liver to grow and swell.
The Sun (2010)
Yet our swelling population means schools and hospitals can no longer cope.
The Sun (2008)
The theory is that low pressure systems could cause joints to swell.
The Sun (2011)
This would further swell its cash balances.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
One ankle was swollen and bruised.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The feet of paralysed people are frequently swollen, but this was particularly bad.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
It took about two months for the swelling to go down and when I had my first night out it was brilliant.
The Sun (2012)
Her voice escaped in a swell of emotion, not so much swooping above the piano as curling around it like thick, soulful smoke.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
In other languages
swell
British English: swell VERB
If the amount or size of something swells or if something swells it, it becomes larger than it was before.
The human population swelled, at least temporarily, as migrants moved south.
American English: swell
Brazilian Portuguese: engrossar
Chinese: 增大
European Spanish: aumentar
French: augmenter
German: anwachsen
Italian: crescere
Japanese: 大きくする/大きくなる
Korean: 팽창하다
European Portuguese: engrossar
Latin American Spanish: aumentar
All related terms of 'swell'
swell box
a box on an organ which houses the pipes ; it is fitted with a shutter operated by a pedal , which can be opened or closed to control the volume
swell up
cross swell
a movement of the sea at right angles to a major current
swell organ
to grow or cause to grow in size , esp as a result of internal pressure
swelled-headed
conceited
international sea and swell scale
an international scale of sea disturbance and swell ranging from 0 to 9 with one figure for disturbance and one for swell