BILLOW Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

billow 1 of 2

noun

ˈbi-(ˌ)lō

Definition of billow

as in wave

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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billow

2 of 2

verb

as in to protrude

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 billow

Noun

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 Try to score a private cabana and have servers dote on you while curtains billow in the sea breeze. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026

Verb

In July, when smoke billowed across the southern Colorado sky and flames scorched 102,000 acres, Amy Milne watched and waited. — Libby Smith, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026 Video captured of the Ross Fire shows clouds of gray smoke billowing into the sky from the flames. — Julia Gomez, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for billow

Recent Examples of Synonyms for billow

Noun

Southern California is in the middle of a Super El Niño heat and humidity wave.

— Bethy Squires, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2026
That scoreboard is now misleading, because the same AI wave letting those companies shed jobs is handing thousands of capable people the time and the reason to build something of their own.

— Lisa Curtis, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of wave

Verb

Anything that protrudes above the shallow, insulating snow cover is more prone to being damaged by the cold and wind or eaten by wildlife, said plant ecologist Anne Bjorkman of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026
Other animals on-site include a stable full of horses and Cowboy the tortoise, who is about the size of a lawnmower and whose head protrudes from what looks like a Venus flytrap made of bone.

— Emma Madden, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of protrude

Verb

Polymarket dropped him like a hot potato, though, once the CFTC began poking into his suspicious Kalshi bets.

— Frank Landymore, Futurism, 2 Sep. 2026
Seething at his dad for poking at his body insecurities, the comedian dealt with his emotions like any good millennial — by podcasting about it.

— Deputy Entertainment, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of poke

Verb

By later in the day, the second lake had bulged — sparking fears of another lethal torrent.

— Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026
Infants may act sluggish or not active, vomit, be unusually fussy, face poor feeding, show a bulging soft spot on the head, or show poor reflexes.

— Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of bulge

Browse Nearby Words

bill of fare

billow

billowed

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Style

“Billow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/billow. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of billow

noun

verb

Example Sentences

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