NounBillows of smoke poured out of the burning building. the rolling billows of the sea Verb the curtains in the open windows billowed in the summer wind
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Surveillance footage from a nearby building showed a burst before debris explode into the air followed by a billow of smoke. Jordan D. Brown, USA TODAY, 12 Aug. 2022 In the clip, shared by Jordan Yaney of 14 News on Twitter, smoke and debris billow in the air seconds after the explosion rocks the street. Charmaine Patterson, Peoplemag, 10 Aug. 2022 In the image of the Carina Nebula—a birthplace of stars—a dark billow in the cloud of dust and ionized gas presented a mystery. Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 18 July 2022 The helicopters kicked up huge plumes of powder that had fallen Monday night, and the aircraft quickly disappeared in a billow of snow. Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 22 Feb. 2022 The first to ride on the new Mercedes-Benz EV platform, the EQS is a flagship at full billow. Nicholas Wallace, Car and Driver, 15 Feb. 2022 Smoke and ash billow from the cone of Mount Nyiragongo, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, instead of the molten lava that streamed from its flanks on May 22, killing dozens of people and destroying 5,000 homes in nearby Goma.New York Times, 2 June 2021 Don’t go quiet while emotions like loneliness and anxiety billow inside you. Malia Wollan, New York Times, 29 Dec. 2020 Speaking of curls, Adut Akech rocked cornrows that cascaded into a billow of her spirals. Akili King, Vogue, 8 Nov. 2020
Verb
As a rare summer breeze flutters by, the branches billow, mirroring her fluidity. Palak Jayswal, The Salt Lake Tribune, 4 Sep. 2022 By now, many of us know enough about Washington weather to accept with gratitude any summer day when white clouds billow in a pure blue sky, the breeze is soft and the temperature stays below 90 degrees. Martin Weil, Washington Post, 21 Aug. 2022 The tinsel curtain occasionally rises way above the stage floor and starts to revolve, making the tinsel billow up into a train, like a skirt in the wind. Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 25 July 2022 After the gunman was detained, Compton firefighters began tackling the fire as smoke continued to billow from the complex. Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2022 Gas and dust billow out from cosmic collisions appearing to set the sky ablaze in rusty red tones. Eva Botkin-kowacki, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 July 2022 Every weekend, plumes of smoke billow up from the parking lot of the Wat Thai Temple in Sun Valley.Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2022 The two open doors allowed smoke to billow through the stairwell, Nigro said. Ryan W. Miller, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2022 Officials said two truck drivers were stranded on the burning vessel awaiting a helicopter rescue that required assistance from Fire Department special forces due to the thick smoke that continued to billow out of the vessel.NBC News, 18 Feb. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Noun and Verb
Old Norse bylgja; akin to Old High German balg bag — more at belly