swell

Meaning

Verb

1. (intransitive) To become bigger, especially due to being engorged.
2. (transitive) To cause to become bigger.
3. (intransitive) To grow gradually in force or loudness.
4. (transitive) To cause to grow gradually in force or loudness.
5. (transitive) To raise to arrogance; to puff up; to inflate.
6. (intransitive) To be raised to arrogance.
7. To be elated; to rise arrogantly.
8. To be turgid, bombastic, or extravagant.
9. To protuberate; to bulge out.

Noun

1. (countable, uncountable) The act of swelling; increase in size.
2. (countable, uncountable) A bulge or protuberance.
3. (countable, uncountable) Increase of power in style, or of rhetorical force.
4. (countable, uncountable) A long series of ocean waves, generally produced by wind, and lasting after the wind has ceased.
5. (countable, uncountable) A gradual crescendo followed by diminuendo.
6. (countable, uncountable) A device for controlling the volume of a pipe organ.
7. (countable, uncountable) A division in a pipe organ, usually the largest enclosed division.
8. (countable, uncountable) A hillock or similar raised area of terrain.
9. (countable, uncountable) An upward protrusion of strata from whose central region the beds dip quaquaversally at a low angle.
10. (countable, dated, informal, uncountable) A person who is stylish, fancy, or elegant.
11. (countable, informal, uncountable) A person of high social standing; an important person.
12. (countable, uncountable) The front brow of a saddle bow, connected in the tree by the two saddle bars to the cantle on the other end.

Adj

1. (dated, not-comparable, usually) Fashionable, like a swell or dandy.
2. (Canada, US, dated, not-comparable, slang, usually) Excellent.

Adv

Very well.

Synonyms

bulge

expand

rise

inflate

swell up

increase

surge

distend

bloat

become swollen

billow

wave

👋

grow

protrude

puff up

tumefy

blister

swelling

ripple

dandy

overflow

dilate

puff

intumesce

smashing

swollen

excellent

fop

be swollen

augment

blow up

peachy

puff out

tumesce

groovy

neat

great

undulation

be inflamed

be inflated

beau

slap-up

bulge out

balloon

🎈

enlarge

sheik

dude

roller

undulate

inflation

Translations

enfler

gonfler

schwellen

hincharse

inchar

zwellen

gonfiare

anschwellen

se gonfler

hinchar

Dünung

houle

aanzwellen

inflar

aumentar

Pronounced as (IPA)

/swɛl/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: swellen

Inherited from Old English: swellan

Cognate with Saterland Frisian: swälle

Cognate with Western Frisian: swolle

Cognate with Dutch: zwellen

Cognate with Low German: swellen

Cognate with German: schwellen

Cognate with Swedish: svälla

Cognate with Icelandic: svella

Inherited from Middle English: swelle

In summary

From Middle English swellen, from Old English swellan (“to swell”), from Proto-West Germanic *swellan, from Proto-Germanic *swellaną (“to swell”), of unknown origin.
Cognate with Saterland Frisian swälle (“to swell”), West Frisian swolle (“to swell”), Dutch zwellen (“to swell”), Low German swellen (“to swell”), German schwellen (“to swell”), Swedish svälla (“to swell”), Icelandic svella. The adjective may derive from the noun.