billows 1 of 2

plural of billow
as in waves
a moving ridge on the surface of water the great billows created by the ocean storm threatened to swamp the fishing boat

Synonyms & Similar Words

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billows

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of billow

Example 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 billows
Noun
Smoke billows from southern Lebanon following Israeli strikes as seen from Nabatieh, Lebanon, on Sunday. Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 31 May 2026 Smoke billows following an Israeli strike on the area of the Rawdat al-Salihin Mosque and the nearby cemetery in the southern city of Nabatieh, Lebanon, May 26, 2026. CBS News, 27 May 2026 Video footage of the crash's aftermath obtained by NBC shows the vehicle significantly engulfed in orange flames emitting billows of black smoke. Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 13 May 2026 Father and son, both members of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe, stare out at a sea of green grass and buffalo berry bushes as a herd of 30 or so bison munch patches of grass, flick their tails at flies, and flop onto the ground, creating brief billows of dust. Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 5 Mar. 2026 Rol has so far counted 148 vehicles burned by the fire, which produced billows of black smoke visible from across metro Denver. Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 27 Feb. 2026 Three seconds later, the Honda crashes into a parked car with such force its tires fly off the street, the pile of cars lurches forward several feet and snow billows. Claire Galofaro, Fortune, 9 Jan. 2026 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 Prayer mats lie next to heavy artillery; smoke billows from parked whips; backstabbers get cut first. Pitchfork, 10 Dec. 2025
Verb
Black smoke billows from the area of the Gazprom Neftâs Moscow oil refinery on the outskirts of Moscow on June 18 following what Moscow's mayor described as a large-scale drone attack by Ukraine. Elmira Aliieva, NBC news, 29 June 2026 Fake smoke billows from the chimneys and the windows are filled with moving models of the colorful creatures from the films. Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026 The officers can then been seen scrambling to recover through debris as smoke billows out of the house, checking on each other to see if anyone had been hurt. ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026 In Kelmscott House—Morris’s own Georgian mansion in Hammersmith, London—a 17th-century Iranian carpet billows from the ceiling in the dining room. Lila Allen, Architectural Digest, 10 Feb. 2026 Thick black smoke billows from a South El Monte recycling plant as Los Angeles County Fire Department crews are attempting to control the flames consuming the large building complex. Julie Sharp, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026 Smoke billows from the Lyondell Basell Houston refinery in Texas in 2024. Matthew Robinson, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for billows
Noun
  • Early on, news of the casino’s construction caused waves of controversy across Sonoma County — some of which resulted in death threats against Sarris’ life.
    Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2026
  • The lights were dimmed, my slippers were waiting beside the bed, and a video of the resort’s beach area played on the TV, complete with the soothing sound of waves washing up on shore.
    Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 23 June 2026
Verb
  • These are more likely to cause painless rectal bleeding or tissue that protrudes during a bowel movement.
    Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 29 Apr. 2026
  • Part of it protrudes from the exterior, with natural airflow helping keep the food inside chilled.
    Adam Williams March 29, New Atlas, 29 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • The greatest threat of those swells are to beaches that face the southwest.
    Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 19 June 2026
  • Sand moving south from a replenishment project in Surfside three years ago has pushed up into Talbert Marsh with the recent swells and high tides and is being pushed back out to the shoreline by the county, Webb added.
    Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 18 June 2026
Verb
  • The second is a vent which pokes out above your clothes, to move warm air away from you.
    David Phelan, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026
  • Perched on a finger of land that pokes into Lebanon, Metula is usually crowded with tourists this time of year.
    Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 23 June 2026
Verb
  • According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), a brain aneurysm is a weakened area in an artery that bulges outward and fills with blood.
    Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025

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“Billows.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/billows. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.

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