billow
Noun · VerbUS[bil-oh]/ˈbɪloʊ/2 syllables
Open English WordNet
Verb (4)billowed, billowing
- rise up as if in waves“smoke billowed up into the sky”Synonyms: wallowMore general soar, soar upMore specific cloud
- move with great difficulty“The soldiers billowed across the muddy riverbed”More general travel, go
- rise and move, as in waves or billows“The army surged forward”Synonyms: surgeheaveMore general inflate, blow up
- become inflated“The sails ballooned”Synonyms: ballooninflateMore general expandMore specific reflate
Noun (1)
- a large sea waveSynonyms: surgeType of wave, moving ridge
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Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Bil′low (…), noun
Origin: Cf. Icel. bylgja billow, Dan. bölge, Sw. bölja; akin to MHG. bulge billow, bag, and to E. bulge. See Bulge.
1. A great wave or surge of the sea or other water, caused usually by violent wind.
Whom the winds waft where'er the billows roll.— William Cowper
2. A great wave or flood of anything. John Milton
Bil′low intransitive verb [past tense & past participle Billowed (…); present participle & verbal noun Billowing.]
To surge; to rise and roll in waves or surges; to undulate. “The billowing snow.” Matthew Prior
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54