billow
billow — verb
- billowpresent simple I / you / we / they
- billowshe / she / it
- billowedpast simple
- billowing-ing form
1. When cloth fills with moving air so that it bulges outward with a wavy motion, o
When cloth fills with moving air so that it bulges outward with a wavy motion, or when smoke, cloud, steam, or dust rises and spreads in a large rolling mass, it billows.
Smoke billowed from the factory chimney, darkening the whole neighbourhood.
The white curtains billowed in the breeze from the open window.
collocation: curtains billow in the breeze
Thick black smoke billowed across the motorway after the truck caught fire.
Hiro watched the sails billow as the wind picked up over the lake.
Clouds of grey ash billowed from the volcano, covering the village below.
- swell
more general, can apply to anything increasing in size, not just wavy motion
- surge
implies a sudden powerful forward push, more forceful than billow
- puff
a short quick burst of air or smoke, lacking billow's sustained rolling motion
- balloon
focuses on the round inflated shape rather than the wavy movement
- subside
to become less violent or to settle back down
文法句型
billow + from/across/out of
material + billow
用法筆記
Always intransitive — the material that swells or spreads is the subject (smoke billows, curtains billow). The wind or moving air is the hidden cause but is not the grammatical subject.
常見錯誤
billow — noun
- billowsingular
- billowsplural
1. A large rolling cloud-like mass of smoke, steam, dust, or flame that spreads thr
A large rolling cloud-like mass of smoke, steam, dust, or flame that spreads through the air, often growing as it moves.
A huge billow of black smoke rose from the burning tyres.
pattern: a billow of + substance (smoke/steam/dust)
Billows of steam filled the bathroom when Bao turned on the hot shower.
The village was covered in billows of ash after the nearby volcano erupted.
Amira saw a billow of dust in the distance as the truck approached.
Billows of thick fog rolled in from the sea, hiding the harbour from view.
2. A very large sea wave that rises high and moves with great force, especially in
A very large sea wave that rises high and moves with great force, especially in stormy weather.
The old fishing boat rose and fell on the dark ocean billows.
collocation: ocean billows
Nellie watched the great billows crash against the rocky cliffs below.
The captain steered the ship through towering billows during the typhoon.
From the lighthouse, Ziad could see the white tops of distant billows.
The surfer paddled out past the breaking billows to reach the calm water.
用法筆記
More common in literary or descriptive writing than in everyday speech. In modern English, 'wave' is the usual word; 'billow' adds a dramatic, old-fashioned feel.