MEANING
To swell outward in large, rounded folds or masses, or rise and roll in that way.
Use it for
Expanding clouds, rolling airborne material, and wind-driven shapes.Give movement fullness and changing volume.
Words that belong together
- clouds billow
- smoke billows
- billow across the sky
On the page
Clouds billowed above the warm plain.
Smoke billowed from the distant grass fire.
The fog billowed across the hollow as the wind shifted.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- billow / billows
- Past tense
- billowed
- Past participle
- billowed
- Present participle
- billowing
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- billow / billows
- Present continuous
- am/is/are billowing
- Present perfect
- have/has billowed
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been billowing
- Past
- billowed
- Past continuous
- was/were billowing
- Past perfect
- had billowed
- Past perfect continuous
- had been billowing
- Future
- will billow / billows
- Future continuous
- will be billowing
- Future perfect
- will have billowed
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been billowing
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: environment. Useful for clouds, smoke, and wind-filled cloth; stronger and fuller than a slight flutter. Verb [base, third-person, past, past participle, -ing]: billow, billows, billowed, billowed, billowing.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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