SWELL (swollen)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected form: swollen   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does swell mean? 

• SWELL (noun)
  The noun SWELL has 4 senses:

1. the undulating movement of the surface of the open sea

2. a rounded elevation (especially one on an ocean floor)

3. a crescendo followed by a decrescendo

4. a man who is much concerned with his dress and appearance

  Familiarity information: SWELL used as a noun is uncommon.

• SWELL (adjective)
  The adjective SWELL has 1 sense:

1. very good

  Familiarity information: SWELL used as an adjective is very rare.

• SWELL (verb)
  The verb SWELL has 6 senses:

1. increase in size, magnitude, number, or intensity

2. become filled with pride, arrogance, or anger

3. expand abnormally

4. come up (as of feelings and thoughts, or other ephemeral things)

5. come up, as of a liquid

6. cause to become swollen

  Familiarity information: SWELL used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SWELL (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The undulating movement of the surface of the open sea

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

crestless wave; swell

Hypernyms ("swell" is a kind of...):

moving ridge; wave (one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "swell"):

ground swell; heavy swell (a broad and deep undulation of the ocean)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A rounded elevation (especially one on an ocean floor)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Hypernyms ("swell" is a kind of...):

elevation; natural elevation (a raised or elevated geological formation)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A crescendo followed by a decrescendo

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("swell" is a kind of...):

crescendo ((music) a gradual increase in loudness)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A man who is much concerned with his dress and appearance

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

beau; clotheshorse; dandy; dude; fashion plate; fop; gallant; sheik; swell

Hypernyms ("swell" is a kind of...):

adult male; man (an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "swell"):

cockscomb; coxcomb (a conceited dandy who is overly impressed by his own accomplishments)

macaroni (a British dandy in the 18th century who affected Continental mannerisms)

Instance hyponyms:

Beau Brummell; Brummell; George Bryan Brummell (English dandy who was a fashion leader during the Regency (1778-1840))

• SWELL (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Very good

Synonyms:

bang-up; bully; corking; cracking; dandy; great; groovy; keen; neat; nifty; not bad; old; peachy; slap-up; smashing; swell

Context example:

we had a grand old time

Similar:

good (having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified)

Domain usage:

colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)

• SWELL (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they swell    ... he / she / it swells   
Past simple: swelled   
Past participle: swelled    / swollen   
-ing form: swelling   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Increase in size, magnitude, number, or intensity

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

The music swelled to a crescendo

Hypernyms (to "swell" is one way to...):

increase (become bigger or greater in amount)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP

Sense 2

Meaning:

Become filled with pride, arrogance, or anger

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

puff up; swell

Context example:

The mother was swelling with importance when she spoke of her son

Hypernyms (to "swell" is one way to...):

act; behave; do (behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Sense 3

Meaning:

Expand abnormally

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

intumesce; swell; swell up; tumefy; tumesce

Context example:

The bellies of the starving children are swelling

Hypernyms (to "swell" is one way to...):

expand (become larger in size or volume or quantity)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "swell"):

distend (swell from or as if from internal pressure)

belly; belly out (swell out or bulge out)

blow up; puff; puff out; puff up (to swell or cause to enlarge)

bloat (become bloated or swollen or puff up)

blister; vesicate (get blistered)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Sentence example:

Did his feet swell?

Derivation:

swelling (an abnormal protuberance or localized enlargement)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Come up (as of feelings and thoughts, or other ephemeral things)

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

swell; well up

Context example:

Smoke swelled from it

Hypernyms (to "swell" is one way to...):

arise; develop; grow; originate; rise; spring up; uprise (come into existence; take on form or shape)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP

Sense 5

Meaning:

Come up, as of a liquid

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

swell; well

Context example:

the currents well up

Hypernyms (to "swell" is one way to...):

come up; rise; rise up; surface (come to the surface)

Sentence frame:

Something is ----ing PP

Sense 6

Meaning:

Cause to become swollen

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

The water swells the wood

Hypernyms (to "swell" is one way to...):

grow (cause to grow or develop)

Cause:

intumesce; swell; swell up; tumefy; tumesce (expand abnormally)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "swell"):

bulge; bulk (cause to bulge or swell outwards)

tumefy (cause to become very swollen)

bloat (make bloated or swollen)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

 Context examples 

Bones under the cartilage may then rub together, causing pain, swelling, stiffness, and disability.

(Stem cells grown on scaffold mimic hip joint cartilage, NIH)

The swelling had not gone down, and the cap was still up on edge.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Abnormal buildup of fluid in the abdomen that may cause swelling.

(Ascites, NCI Dictionary)

It causes joint pain and stiffness, and in some people swelling and tenderness of the joints.

(Joint lubricating fluid plays key role in osteoarthritic pain, University of Cambridge)

Because of the risk of serious complications, the man was admitted to hospital, where he was fed by tube and given intravenous antibiotics until the swelling and pain had subsided.

(Blocking A Sneeze, Man Ruptures Throat, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

It can cause pain and swelling and disrupt the positions of teeth.

(Scientists discover fossil tumor in 255 million-year-old mammal forerunner, NSF)

The steps drew swiftly nearer, and swelled out suddenly louder as they turned the end of the street.

(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

Inflammation is usually the body’s response to injury and stress – such as the redness and swelling that accompanies an injury or infection.

(Inflammation in the brain linked to several forms of dementia, University of Cambridge)

There was a great, smooth swell upon the sea.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

The heat, swelling, and redness of inflammation are a normal part of the body’s protective response to injury or infection.

(Gene linked to rare inflammatory disease in children, NIH)