Meaning & use
swelling
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountablemedical
A part of the body that has grown bigger than normal, usually because of injury, infection or fluid.
Grammar: Countable for one lump (a swelling on his knee) and uncountable for the condition (there was swelling).
Patterns
- swelling in something
- swelling around something
She put ice on the swelling around her ankle.
There is some swelling in his left hand after the bee sting.
The doctor checked the swelling to make sure it was not an infection.
nounsingularformal
A gradual increase in size, amount or intensity of something, such as sound or a crowd.
Grammar: Usually singular and followed by of: a swelling of support.
Patterns
- a swelling of something
There was a swelling of applause as the singer walked on.
A swelling of public anger forced the company to apologize.
The swelling of the river threatened the village.
adjectivebefore a noun
Growing larger or stronger over time.
Grammar: Comes before a noun: a swelling crowd.
A swelling crowd gathered outside the stadium.
The swelling music filled the hall.
She felt a swelling pride as her daughter took the stage.
Word forms
| plural | swellings |
|---|
Common combinations
- reduce the swelling
- Ice helps reduce the swelling.
- painful swelling
- He had a painful swelling on his wrist.
- swelling goes down
- The swelling went down after two days.
- cause swelling
- Some allergies cause swelling in the face.
- swelling of the ankles
- Long flights can lead to swelling of the ankles.
Synonyms and how they differ
- lump
- A lump is a firm, localized bump, whereas swelling can be a soft and spread-out enlargement.
- puffiness
- Puffiness is lighter and often affects the face or eyes, while swelling can be more serious.
- inflammation
- Inflammation is the medical process, often with redness and heat, while swelling is just the visible enlargement.
- bump
- A bump is a small raised spot, usually from a knock, and is less formal than swelling.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: swelling or swollen?
swelling vs swollen
Swollen is the adjective or past participle, as in a swollen ankle, while swelling is the noun or present participle.
Practice
After the fall, there was a lot of ___ around his knee.
Choose one answer.
After 'a lot of' we need a noun, and swelling is the noun. Swollen is an adjective and cannot follow 'a lot of' here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “swelling”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.