v., swelled, swelled or swol·len (swō'lən), swell·ing, swells.

v.intr.

1. To increase in size or volume as a result of internal pressure; expand.
2. 1. To increase in force, size, number, or degree: Membership in the club swelled.
   2. To grow in loudness or intensity: “The din in front swelled to a tremendous chorus” (Stephen Crane).
3. To bulge out, as a sail.
4. 1. To rise or extend above the surrounding level, as clouds.
   2. To rise in swells, as the sea.
5. 1. To be or become filled or puffed up, as with pride, arrogance, or anger.
   2. To rise from within: Rage swelled within me.

v.tr.

1. To cause to increase in volume, size, number, degree, or intensity: The governor's full public disclosure only swelled the chorus of protests.
2. To fill with emotion.

n.

1. 1. The act or process of swelling.
   2. The condition of being swollen.
2. A swollen part; a bulge or protuberance.
3. A long wave on water that moves continuously without breaking.
4. A rise in the land; a rounded elevation.
5. Informal. One who is fashionably dressed or socially prominent: society swells.
6. Music.
   1. A crescendo followed by a gradual diminuendo.
   2. The sign indicating such a crescendo.
   3. A device on an instrument, such as an organ or harpsichord, for regulating volume.

adj. Informal., swell·er, swell·est.

1. Fashionably elegant; stylish.
2. Excellent; wonderful: had a swell time.

[Middle English swellen, from Old English swellan.]

Infected cans of food swollen at the ends by gases produced by fermentation. A ‘hard swell’ has permanently extended ends. If the ends can be moved under pressure, but not forced back to the original position, they are ‘soft swells’. ‘Springers’ can be forced back, but the opposite end bulges. A ‘flipper’ is a can of normal appearance in which the end flips out when the can is struck.

Hydrogen swells are harmless, due to acid fruits attacking the can.

verb

To make or become greater or larger: aggrandize, amplify, augment, boost, build, build up, burgeon, enlarge, escalate, expand, extend, grow, increase, magnify, mount, multiply, proliferate, rise, run up, snowball, soar, upsurge, wax. Informal beef up. See increase/decrease.

noun

The act of increasing or rising: aggrandizement, amplification, augment, augmentation, boost, buildup, enlargement, escalation, growth, hike, increase, jump, multiplication, proliferation, raise, rise, upsurge, upswing, upturn,, increase/decrease.

adjective

1. Exceptionally good of its kind: ace, banner, blue-ribbon, brag, capital, champion, excellent, fine¹, first-class, first-rate, prime, quality, splendid, superb, superior, terrific, tiptop, top. Informal A-one, bully, dandy, great, topflight, topnotch. Slang boss. Chiefly British tophole. See good/bad.
2. Particularly excellent: divine, fabulous, fantastic, fantastical, glorious, marvelous, sensational, splendid, superb, terrific, wonderful. Informal dandy, dreamy, great, ripping, super, tremendous. Slang cool, groovy, hot, keen¹, neat, nifty. Idioms: out of this world. See good/bad.

adj

Definition: wonderful
Antonyms: bad, horrible, shabby

n

Definition: large increase, flow
Antonyms: decline, decrease

v

Definition: become larger
Antonyms: compress, concentrate, contract, shrink

v

Definition: increase
Antonyms: decline, decrease

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v. past part. swollen or swelled

n.

a slow, regular movement of the sea in rolling waves that do not break: there was a heavy swell.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

A device for the graduation of volume in keyboard instruments. The Swell organ is a department of an organ whose chest or pipes are enclosed in a box, one side of which has a shutter that may be opened and closed with a foot lever. A stop or half stop, or even several departments may be enclosed in this way. Two swell devices, operated by pedals, were developed for the harpsichord in England in the latter half of the 18th century: the ‘nag's head’, which opens a hinged section of the lid, and the ‘Venetian’, which works on the principle of the Venetian blind. The disadvantage is that the tone of the instrument is muffled.

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(DOD) Ocean waves that have traveled out of their fetch. Swell characteristically exhibits a more regular and longer period and has flatter crests than waves within their fetch.

IN BRIEF: To grow or cause to grow in size. Also: Excellent; wonderful.

When I give a man an office, I watch him carefully to see whether he is swelling or growing. — Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924), U.S. Democratic politician, president.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
v. intr. - hæve sig, svulme, hovne op, bule ud, stige, vokse, øges, bryste sig
v. tr. - hæve, svulme, hovne op, bule ud, stige, vokse, øge, forstærke, bryste sig
n. - hævning, svulmen, stigning, stigen, intensitet, kraft, dønning, svelle, stormand, matador
adj. - flot, smart, vældig god
adv. - chic, smart, fashionabelt, glimrende

Nederlands (Dutch)
zwellen, opzwellen, aanzwellen, aangroeien, zwelling, groei, deining, zeegang, golving, iemand van gegoede klasse, elegant gekleed, geweldig

Français (French)
v. intr. - gonfler, augmenter, gonfler (une voile), grossir (une rivière)
v. tr. - se gonfler, gonfler, enfler (une cheville), grossir (une rivière), (fig) gonfler (d'orgueil), s'accroître, augmenter, atteindre, devenir plus fort, monter (le son), s'écouler (de)
n. - houle, (Mus) crescendo et diminuendo, boîte expressive (orgue), personne huppée, le grand monde, rondeur, largeur, grosseur (des muscles)
adj. - (US) classe (fam), chic (un restaurant), formidable
adv. - avec classe/élégance

Deutsch (German)
v. - schwellen, anschwellen, sich (auf)blähen, steigen, anschwellen lassen, vergrößern
n. - Schwellen, Dünung, (mus.) Schwellwerk, (ugs.) feiner Herr
adj. - großartig, elegant
adv. - bestens

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - διογκώνομαι, φουσκώνω, πρήζομαι
n. - διόγκωση, φουσκοθαλασσιά, οίδημα, πρήξιμο, φούσκωμα, βαθμιαία αύξηση έντασης μουσικού ήχου, (καθομ.) δανδής, μέλος της υψηλής κοινωνίας
adj. - καλοντυμένος, στιλάτος, (ΗΠΑ) θαυμάσιος, φίνος

idioms:

• swollen head    φαντασμένος

Italiano (Italian)
gonfiarsi, crescere, mareggio, elevazione

idioms:

• swelled/swollen head    boria

Português (Portuguese)
v. - inchar
n. - dilatação (f)
adj. - ótimo

idioms:

• swelled/swollen head    convencido

Русский (Russian)
возвышение, выпуклость, припухлость, опухоль, волна, зыбь, "важная персона", нарастание, щегольской, отличный, надуваться, надувать, возвышаться, подниматься (о воде), увеличиваться, быть переполненным чувствами, важничать, нарастать, усиливаться

idioms:

• swelled/swollen head    самомнение

Español (Spanish)
v. intr. - hincharse, inflarse, acrecentarse, aumentar, abotagarse, dilatarse, henchirse, engrosarse, crecer, abultar, entumecerse, agitarse, enorgullecerse, engreírse, espetarse, hablar pomposamente
v. tr. - aumentar, hinchar, inflar, henchir, dilatar, abultar, engrosar, engreír, envanecer
n. - hinchazón, inflamiento, elevación, ondulación, bulto, protuberancia, ola, oleaje, crecida, engrosamiento, subida (de precios), personaje
adj. - elegante, a la moda, magnífico, excelente

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - svälla, svullna (upp), bukta (ut), öka, låta svälla
n. - utbuktning, svällande, uppsväldhet, ökning, stegring, pamp, stjärna
adj. - svällande, flott, stilig, strålande

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
增大, 肿胀, 膨胀, 使膨胀, 使上涨, 使增大, 鼓起, 壮大, 增强, 很棒的, 一流的, 漂亮的, 服装时髦的, 风头健的, 一流地, 漂亮地

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
v. intr. - 增大, 腫脹, 膨脹
v. tr. - 使膨脹, 使上漲, 使增大
n. - 鼓起, 膨脹, 增大, 壯大, 腫脹, 增強
adj. - 很棒的, 一流的, 漂亮的, 服裝時髦的, 風頭健的
adv. - 一流地, 漂亮地

한국어 (Korean)
v. intr. - 부풀다, 붓다, 증가하다
v. tr. - 부풀게 하다, 늘리다, 증가 시키다
n. - 팽창, 부풀기, 증대
adj. - 훌륭한, 멋진, 멋있는
adv. - 훌륭하게, 멋지게, 유쾌하게

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - はれる, がふくらむ, いっぱいになる, 増大する, 増える, 膨れる, 得意になる, 膨張する
n. - 膨らみ, 増大, 高まり, 増減, うねり, 隆起
adj. - 素晴らしい, 一流の
adv. - 粋に, 素晴らしく

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) ينتفخ , يتورم (الاسم) انتفاخ , ورم (صفه) انيق ممتاز‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. intr. - ‮התנפח, תפח, גדל, התמלא (גאווה, שמחה וכדו')‬
v. tr. - ‮הרחיב, ניפח‬
n. - ‮התנפחות, תפיחה, מלאות, עגלגלות, גיאות המים ושקיעתם, התעצמות קול‬
adj. - ‮מצויין, כביר, מהודר, מפואר, שפיר‬
adv. - ‮לפי צו האופנה, ממדרגה ראשונה‬

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