How to Use billow in a Sentence

billow

1 of 2 noun
  • Billows of smoke poured out of the burning building.
  • Early on, fake tear gas billows through the flaps of the tent.
    — Stephen Humphries, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Feb. 2023
  • Photos of the fire show a billow of smoke coming from one side of the building.
    — Alejandro Serrano, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Mar. 2018
  • The engine explodes into flames and black smoke billows from the jet.
    — Chicago Tribune Staff, chicagotribune.com, 4 Aug. 2017
  • Along the horizon, the road meets a billow of clouds, then fades to a white nothingness.
    — Judi Ketteler, Good Housekeeping, 7 Mar. 2023
  • When the stones are red-hot, water is thrown onto them, raising billows of light steam.
    — Rachel Polonsky, The New York Review of Books, 27 May 2020
  • Prayer mats lie next to heavy artillery; smoke billows from parked whips; backstabbers get cut first.
    — Pitchfork, 10 Dec. 2025
  • Tokyo — Large clouds of smoke billow from Japan’s most famous mountain.
    — Chris Lau, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2025
  • Inside billows of wildfire smoke is not usually a place that people would choose to be.
    — Mary Beth Griggs, The Verge, 21 Nov. 2018
  • Air bubbles billow to the surface and seemingly burst in time with the music.
    — Justin Meneguzzi, Travel + Leisure, 28 Feb. 2023
  • Video posted to social media of the scene shows part of the crane on fire atop the building as clouds of black smoke billow above.
    — Julianne McShane, NBC News, 26 July 2023
  • Beef fajitas were all sizzle and no spice, laid out on an iron platter spitting oil through billows of steam.
    — Mike Sutter, ExpressNews.com, 22 Aug. 2019
  • With time, some of those familiar bubbly clouds common of the midday billow high.
    — Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 22 Aug. 2020
  • Oye rocks braids of all kinds; from those that are green dyed and cheekbone-length to cornrows that cascade into a billow of coils.
    — Akili King, Vogue, 7 Nov. 2020
  • Other residents stood teary-eyed with neighbors, watching the smoke billow as they were sprayed with mist.
    — Daniel Kool, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Feb. 2023
  • When the dining room’s two sets of bifolding doors are open, the footprint seems to expand as salty breeze billows in.
    — Kelly Dawson, Sunset Magazine, 12 Feb. 2020
  • The red curtains from a stage in the gym billow as wood, bricks, and pieces of the building rush toward the running children.
    — Zachary Halaschak, Washington Examiner, 15 Jan. 2020
  • There’s a faint whirring noise as the blade sinks into the skeleton, and clouds of coral dust billow in the surrounding water.
    — Elizabeth Svoboda, Scientific American, 6 June 2018
  • In videos that appear to have been taken at the scene and shared on social media, billows of smoke could be seen rising from the site.
    — Serhiy Morgunov, Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2023
  • Fuzzy ashen mold billows around wheels of cheese stacked on wooden planks at La Ferme de L’Abérieux.
    — Time, 22 Sep. 2017
  • Thrown canisters and grenades of tear gas produce clouds of powder with an appearance akin to smoke that billow in the air like a mist.
    — Kelsey D. Atherton, Scientific American, 23 June 2020
  • AThe hydrochloric acid steam cloud billows into the air, along with fine particles of glass.
    — John Bacon, USA TODAY, 22 May 2018
  • Ash clouds billow, follow the wind, and rain down in millimeters, inches, sometimes feet-thick layers of dust and rock.
    — Erin McKittrick, Alaska Dispatch News, 29 July 2017
  • By night, fires dot the serene landscape and smoke billows from chimneys as guests sip cocktails and cocoa or take a sleigh ride over powdery, sparkling snow.
    — Wendy O'Dea, Robb Report, 28 Dec. 2025
  • Video footage of the crash posted on Facebook shows people walking away from the plane as thick clouds of smoke billow from the wreckage.
    — Mahita Gajanan, Time, 16 Aug. 2019
  • Images taken at one of the incidents show flames blanketing the ship’s hull while clouds of black smoke billow into the clear sky.
    — John Walcott, Time, 14 June 2019
  • As plumes of smoke billow out of Canada’s forests, some may be wondering why many of the fires are being allowed to burn unchecked.
    — Alaa Elassar, CNN, 1 July 2023
  • One officer reaches into the car to open the driver's door and pull him out, but a ball of flames quickly flares up as smoke billows from the car.
    — Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 17 Nov. 2025
  • In the portrait, taken in the last few weeks, black smoke billows behind her as her fuchsia headscarf billows in the wind behind her.
    — Charlene Gubash, NBC news, 24 Mar. 2026
  • In Delmas, billows of black smoke from burning tires blanketed the sky while a major road was blocked by an oversize truck.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 6 Feb. 2024

billow

2 of 2 verb
  • Three thick plumes of smoke billowed two blocks away.
    — Philip Wang, Time, 24 Feb. 2026
  • Then clean white smoke billowed around the launch pad.
    — Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 Jan. 2026
  • The ship caught fire, and thick, black smoke billowed out of it.
    — Lawrence Richard, Fox News, 28 Mar. 2024
  • Air raid sirens blared through the night as smoke billowed across the city from strikes.
    — Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2026
  • Air raid sirens blared through the night as smoke billowed across the city from strikes.
    — ABC News, 23 May 2026
  • Smoke was seen billowing out the back of the house.
    — Dylan Olsen, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2026
  • The sleeves billow slightly, and it can be worn tucked-in or left out—up to you!
    — Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 June 2026
  • Hunt rocked a billowing white blouse and gray midiskirt, along with a pair of red hot heels.
    — Meg Walters, InStyle, 5 Mar. 2026
  • Smoke billowing from a rooftop could be seen from long distance.
    — Natalie Davies, Freep.com, 1 Apr. 2026
  • Thick black smoke billowed into the sky, making day seem more like night.
    — Alexander Smith, NBC news, 9 Mar. 2026
  • Players walked out on the stage to billowing smoke.
    — Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 27 May 2026
  • But here, it's paired with a billowing maxi skirt to complete the look.
    — Gabrielle Porcaro, Travel + Leisure, 25 June 2023
  • The fire sent clouds of black smoke billowing skyward that could be seen from afar.
    — TIME, 23 Feb. 2024
  • Large plumes of smoke could be seen billowing from the roof of the building.
    — Frederick Sutton Sinclair, CBS News, 4 Jan. 2026
  • Video from the scene showed thick gray smoke billowing from the complex.
    — ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026
  • Video from the scene shows smoke billowing from the building.
    — Christopher Cann, USA Today, 13 Mar. 2026
  • The billowing sleeves are extra roomy and have a foldover cuff that adds a stylish touch.
    — Nicol Natale, Peoplemag, 20 Oct. 2023
  • Footage from the crash scene showed thick, black smoke billowing from the airfield.
    — Kirsty Hatcher, PEOPLE, 16 June 2026
  • Firefighters rushed to the scene as flames and black smoke billowed into the sky.
    — Jamie Stengle, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2026
  • Video from the scene showed flames and black smoke billowing hundreds of feet into the air.
    — CBS News, 24 Mar. 2023
  • Video showed crowds swimming in the ocean just feet from the blaze, as smoke and flames billowed into the air.
    — Faris Tanyos, CBS News, 20 June 2026
  • Steam rises from the water, billowing white in the clear, cold air.
    — Rick Jordan, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2026
  • Plumes of black smoke billowed from the city's Legtifya gas station.
    — Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Smoke billowed from several fires that were burning on the boat.
    — ABC News, 10 Mar. 2026
  • Smoke billowed from within the crowded camp, with mosque minarets in the backdrop.
    — Nasser Nasser and Josef Federman, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 July 2023
  • Photos and video from the scene along show a massive black plume of smoke billowing from the plant.
    — Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 8 Nov. 2023
  • Images showed flames and smoke billowing out of top-floor windows.
    — Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 24 Jan. 2026
  • Video shows clouds of smoke billowing with dozens of ambulances and fire trucks at the scene.
    — Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 6 May 2026
  • Smoke billowing from the crash site on Sunday.
    — Chloe Mayer john Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
  • Video from the site shows the bus engulfed in flames with thick plumes of smoke billowing into the sky.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'billow.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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