SWELL UP

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does swell up mean? 

• SWELL UP (verb)
  The verb SWELL UP has 1 sense:

1. expand abnormally

  Familiarity information: SWELL UP used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SWELL UP (verb)

Sense 1

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 up" is one way to...):

expand (become larger in size or volume or quantity)

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

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 up?

 Context examples 

What our compounds do is stop urine production, so they swell up and can’t volume regulate, and in some cases they just pop, Denton says.

(Novel insecticide blocks mosquitoes’ ability to urinate, NIH)

As soon as it is exposed to water, the shell begins to swell up and release the larvicide.

(Thyme oil and corn starch prove deadly for mosquito larvae, SciDev.Net)

Allergic reactions cause your body to release chemicals that can make your skin swell up in hives.

(Hives, NIH)