Meaning & use
swell
To gradually increase in size, volume, or intensity, often from pressure, emotion, or accumulation.
See it in a sentence
His ankle began to swell almost immediately after he twisted it on the stairs.
The crowd's cheering swelled into a roar as the runner crossed the finish line.
A note on using this word
Swell can describe a physical increase, like an injury, or a figurative rise, like emotion, sound, or a population.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
shrinksubside
Another way to use it
2. noun
A large, slow-moving wave or series of waves in the sea.
Surfers paddled out early to catch the powerful swells rolling in from the storm.
Make it your own
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