as in lump
a small rounded mass of swollen tissue
the swelling at the site of the insect bite was not too concerning
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in surging
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in increasing
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number
the club membership has really swelled in recent months
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in accelerating
to make greater in size, amount, or number
more layoffs will swell the ranks of the unemployed to unprecedented levels
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in protruding
to extend outward beyond a usual point
at that point the Congo River swells and forms Malebo Pool
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of swelling
Georgia Casey, Allure, 6 Feb. 2026
Doctors worry in particular about unprotected young children, for whom severe complications — pneumonia, brain swelling and blindness — are more common.
—CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026
Kara Nesvig, Allure, 27 Oct. 2025
Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 3 Feb. 2026
About four hours after his arrest, he was taken to a hospital emergency room in suburban Edina with swelling and bruising around his right eye and bleeding.
—CBS News, 2 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for swelling
Noun
Framing perfectly normal facial swelling as evidence of an underlying health problem is, at best, disingenuous.
—Georgia Casey, Allure, 6 Feb. 2026
Doctors worry in particular about unprotected young children, for whom severe complications — pneumonia, brain swelling and blindness — are more common.
—CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
Another effective anti-swelling remedy is a delicious snack that may be hiding in the fridge.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
Along with the telltale rash, measles can cause a high fever, cough, pneumonia, swelling of the brain (encephalitis), and death.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 3 Feb. 2026
About four hours after his arrest, he was taken to a hospital emergency room in suburban Edina with swelling and bruising around his right eye and bleeding.
—CBS News, 2 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for swelling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swelling
Noun
-
The cash option is a one-time, lump-sum payment that is equal to all the cash in the Mega Millions jackpot prize pool.—
Tanya Wildt,
Freep.com,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Caglianone took his lumps — most noticeably charted by his chase rate outside the strike zone — in short order.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Now, decoupling supply chains are driving manufacturing growth in the West once more, electric vehicles and home heat pumps need to be plugged in, and the makers of AI’s large language models have ever-increasing power needs.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
6 Feb. 2026
-
The move marks a broader trend from the brand, which has been increasing its visibility to new markets through the world of sports, and, at the moment, none is hotter than that of F1.—
Blake Buettner,
Robb Report,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
That could be a signal that the pace of layoffs is accelerating.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Alphabet reported fantastic fourth-quarter results on Wednesday, proof that its eye-popping spending on artificial intelligence is accelerating growth across all its businesses.—
,
CNBC,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Team Fluff's Twilight Barkle, a special needs dog with a protruding forehead from Hearts & Bones Rescue in Dallas, scored the game's final touchdown.—
Haadiza Ogwude,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Avoid areas of ice with protruding debris like logs or brush.—
Sarah Moore,
Freep.com,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But Kaszas’ ultimate destiny had nothing to do with inflicting — or receiving — bruises, contusions or broken limbs.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Photos show what appear to be deep bruises marked SueHey's wrists.—
Michael Kaplan,
CBS News,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
He’s trapped in rolling crises of his own making and is struggling to sell voters on the idea of a strong American economy.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Researchers have developed a mathematical framework to design knee-like joints in robots, called rolling contact joints.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Lawmakers in European powerhouse Germany have approved a government plan to attract more military recruits as the country tries to boost the ranks of its armed forces in the face of rising concern about the threat posed by Russia.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Takaichi had earlier laid out a record $783 billion budget for the next fiscal year starting April 1, on top of a $135 billion stimulus package introduced last year to help households with rising living costs.—
CNBC.com staff,
CNBC,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Future versions are projected to extend driving range to around 310–372 miles (500–600 kilometers), expanding suitability beyond short-range applications.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Bill Gates named in Epstein files Documents released from the Epstein files indicate that Gates and Epstein met repeatedly after Epstein's prison term to discuss expanding the Microsoft founder's philanthropic efforts.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swelling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swelling. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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