Meaning & use
swelled up
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“swelled up” is a form of “swell up”.
Meanings
phrasephrasal verb
Became larger or puffier than normal, usually because of injury, infection or an allergic reaction.
Grammar: No object: his lip swelled up; the part that grows is the subject.
Patterns
- something swells up
- something swells up after something
Her ankle swelled up within minutes of the fall.
His face swelled up after the bee sting.
The bite swelled up overnight and started to itch.
phrasephrasal verbfigurative
Grew stronger or fuller, as a feeling, sound or crowd does.
Grammar: No object; used figuratively with feelings or sounds as the subject.
Patterns
- something swells up inside someone
Pride swelled up in her as she watched her son graduate.
The music swelled up and filled the hall.
Anger swelled up in him when he read the message.
Word forms
| present | swell up |
|---|---|
| third person singular | swells up |
| past participle | swollen up |
| -ing form | swelling up |
Common combinations
- swelled up like a balloon
- His hand swelled up like a balloon after the wasp sting.
- swelled up painfully
- The joint swelled up painfully by evening.
- swelled up after an injury
- Her knee swelled up after the match.
- feelings swelled up
- Feelings of gratitude swelled up as she thanked the team.
Synonyms and how they differ
- puffed up
- Puffed up is more informal and often describes a visible, rounded swelling, but it also describes someone acting proud.
- inflamed
- Inflamed names the medical reaction behind redness and heat, while swelled up only describes the increase in size.
- expanded
- Expanded is neutral and can describe anything growing, whereas swelled up usually suggests an unwanted bodily change.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: swelled up or swollen?
swelled up vs swollen
Swollen is the adjective or participle (a swollen foot); swelled up is the active past tense (my foot swelled up).
Practice
After the insect bite, her arm ___ and turned red.
Choose one answer.
Swelled up means became puffy, which fits a bite and redness. Swept up means gathered with a brush, so it cannot describe a body part growing.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “swelled up”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.