swell
verb/swel/
/swel/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they swell | /swel/ /swel/ |
| he / she / it swells | /swelz/ /swelz/ |
| past simple swelled | /sweld/ /sweld/ |
| past participle swelled | /sweld/ /sweld/ |
| past participle swollen | /ˈswəʊlən/ /ˈswəʊlən/ |
| -ing form swelling | /ˈswelɪŋ/ /ˈswelɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive] swell (up) to become bigger or rounder
- Her arm was beginning to swell up where the bee had stung her.
- Bacteria can cause gums to swell and bleed.
- Cook the lentils for 20 minutes until they swell and soften.
Extra ExamplesTopics Health problemsc1- Her feet swelled up after the long walk to the top of the hill.
- Her legs had swollen with the heat.
- His right eye had almost swollen shut.
- His sprained ankle had swollen badly.
- My fingers and thumbs swelled to grotesque proportions.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- badly
- slightly
- up
- …
- to
- with
- swell shut
- [intransitive, transitive] to go out or make something go out in a curved shape
- swell (out) The sails swelled (out) in the wind.
- His belly swelled out over his belt.
- swell something (out) The wind swelled (out) the sails.
- [transitive, intransitive] to increase or make something increase in number or size
- swell something (to something) Last year's profits were swelled by a fall in production costs.
- Crowds of commuters were swelled by Christmas shoppers.
- We are looking for more volunteers to swell the ranks (= increase the number) of those already helping.
- swell (to something) Membership has swelled to over 20 000.
Extra Examples- The rain was so fierce that it swelled the river until it burst its banks.
- If the rain continues the river could swell and burst its banks.
- [intransitive] (of a sound) to become louder
- The cheering swelled through the hall.
- [countable] [intransitive] swell (with something) to be filled with a strong emotion
- to swell with pride
- Her heart swelled as she turned to face him.
see also swollen
Word OriginOld English swellan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to German schwellen. Current senses of the noun date from the early 16th cent.; the informal adjectival use derives from noun sense (5) (late 18th cent.).
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swell