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
Relevance
as in protrudes
to extend outward beyond a usual point
the curtains in the open windows billowed in the summer wind
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2025
Matthew Robinson, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
It’s presented in a treasure chest with smoke protruding as the chest opens, slowly displaying the cocktail itself as the smoke billows into the patron’s face, preparing their nostrils for the smokey aroma ahead.
—Andrew Watman, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Noun
Video released by the prison shows large chunks of debris flying off the roof with what appears to be billows of black storm clouds above the penitentiary.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2025
Verb
Smoke billows from the Lyondell Basell Houston refinery in Texas in 2024.
—Matthew Robinson, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
It’s presented in a treasure chest with smoke protruding as the chest opens, slowly displaying the cocktail itself as the smoke billows into the patron’s face, preparing their nostrils for the smokey aroma ahead.
—Andrew Watman, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for billows
Noun
-
Michigan’s Lakeside Forests And Dark Sky Festival Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula is best known as the site of North America's earliest Indigenous copper mining and later as the heart of a 19th-century copper boom that drew waves of immigrants to the area.—
Emese Maczko,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
-
States and localities have filed waves of lawsuits against the fossil fuel industry to make energy companies pay for damages that communities face from climate change.—
Michael Copley,
NPR,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Slebir’s ride during one of the biggest swells ever recorded in the Pacific Ocean drew national attention.—
Julia Prodis Sulek,
Mercury News,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Ten-foot swells rose up and sent our boat reeling.—
Martin Suarez,
Rolling Stone,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The brand’s giant green owl mascot dances badly, makes obscure pop culture references and pokes fun at the company’s push notifications.—
Leeron Walter,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Like his contemporaries, Meyers often pokes fun at the ongoing actions of the president and his administration on Late Night.—
Emlyn Travis Updated,
EW.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Billows.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/billows. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share