From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Swell \Swell\, verb (used without an object) [imp. {Swelled}; p. p. {Swelled} or {Swollen}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Swelling}.] [AS. swellan; akin to D. zwellen, OS. & OHG. swellan, G. schwellen, Icel. svella, Sw. sv["a]lla.]
1. To grow larger; to dilate or extend the exterior surface or dimensions, by matter added within, or by expansion of the inclosed substance; as, the legs swell in dropsy; a bruised part swells; a bladder swells by inflation.
2. To increase in size or extent by any addition; to increase in volume or force; as, a river swells, and overflows its banks; sounds swell or diminish.
3. To rise or be driven into waves or billows; to heave; as, in tempest, the ocean swells into waves.
4. To be puffed up or bloated; as, to swell with pride.
You swell at the tartan, as the bull is said to do at scarlet. --Sir W. Scott.
5. To be inflated; to belly; as, the sails swell.
6. To be turgid, bombastic, or extravagant; as, swelling words; a swelling style.
7. To protuberate; to bulge out; as, a cask swells in the middle.
8. To be elated; to rise arrogantly.
Your equal mind yet swells not into state. --Dryden.
9. To grow upon the view; to become larger; to expand. ''Monarchs to behold the swelling scene!'' --Shak.
10. To become larger in amount; as, many little debts added, swell to a great amount.
11. To act in a pompous, ostentatious, or arrogant manner; to strut; to look big.
Here he comes, swelling like a turkey cock. --Shak.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Swell \Swell\, verb (used with an object)
1. To increase the size, bulk, or dimensions of; to cause to rise, dilate, or increase; as, rains and dissolving snow swell the rivers in spring; immigration swells the population.
[The Church] swells her high, heart-cheering tone. --Keble.
It is low ebb with his accuser when such peccadilloes are put to swell the charge. --Atterbury.
3. To raise to arrogance; to puff up; to inflate; as, to be swelled with pride or haughtiness.
4. (Mus.) To augment gradually in force or loudness, as the sound of a note.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
2. Gradual increase. Specifically: (a) Increase or augmentation in bulk; protuberance. (b) Increase in height; elevation; rise.
Little River affords navigation during a swell to within three miles of the Miami. --Jefferson. (c) Increase of force, intensity, or volume of sound.
Music arose with its voluptuous swell. --Byron. (d) Increase of power in style, or of rhetorical force.
The swell and subsidence of his periods. --Landor.
3. A gradual ascent, or rounded elevation, of land; as, an extensive plain abounding with little swells.
4. A wave, or billow; especially, a succession of large waves; the roll of the sea after a storm; as, a heavy swell sets into the harbor.
The swell Of the long waves that roll in yonder bay. --Tennyson.
The gigantic swells and billows of the snow. --Hawthorne.
5. (Mus.) A gradual increase and decrease of the volume of sound; the crescendo and diminuendo combined; -- generally indicated by the sign.
6. A showy, dashing person; a dandy. [Slang]
{Ground swell}. See under {Ground}.
{Organ swell} (Mus.), a certain number of pipes inclosed in a box, the uncovering of which by means of a pedal produces increased sound.
{Swell shark} (Zo["o]l.), a small shark ({Scyllium ventricosum}) of the west coast of North America, which takes in air when caught, and swells up like a swellfish.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Swell \Swell\, adjective Having the characteristics of a person of rank and importance; showy; dandified; distinguished; as, a swell person; a swell neighborhood. [Slang]
{Swell mob}. See under {Mob}. [Slang]
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
adjective
1: very good; "he did a bully job"; "a neat sports car"; "had a great time at the party"; "you look simply smashing" [syn: {bang-up}, {bully}, {corking}, {cracking}, {dandy}, {great}, {groovy}, {keen}, {neat}, {nifty}, {not bad(p)}, {peachy}, {slap-up}, {smashing}]
noun
1: the undulating movement of the surface of the open sea [syn: {crestless wave}]
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 [syn: {dandy}, {dude}, {fop}, {gallant}, {sheik}, {beau}, {fashion plate}, {clotheshorse}]
verb
1: increase in size, magnitude, number, or intensity; "The music swelled to a crescendo"
2: become filled with pride, arrogance, or anger; "The mother was swelling with importance when she spoke of her son" [syn: {puff up}]
3: expand abnormally; "The bellies of the starving children are swelling" [syn: {swell up}, {intumesce}, {tumefy}, {tumesce}]
4: as of feelings and thoughts, or other ephemeral things; "Strong emotions welled up"; "Smoke swelled from it" [syn: {well up}]
5: come up; "Tears well in her eyes" [syn: {well}]
6: cause to become swollen; "The water swells the wood" [also: {swollen}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
511 Moby Thesaurus words for "swell": Babylonian, Beau Brummel, Brahman, Corinthian, OK, accent, accent mark, accrue, accumulate, ace-high, add to, advance, aggrandize, amplify, anthill, appreciate, archduke, aristocrat, armiger, augment, awake the dead, awe-inspiring, awful, bad, bag, balloon, bang-up, bar, barbaric, baron, baronet, barrow, be poised, beau, belly, belly out, bilge, billow, blade, blast, blast the ear, bloat, bloatedness, bloating, blood, blow up, blowing up, blue blood, boil, bonzer, boom, boost, bore, bosom, boss, bouge, boulevardier, brae, braw, break, breakers, breed, broaden, broadening, bug, build, build up, bulge, bulk, bulk out, bully, bump, bunion, but good, butte, cancel, carbuncle, character, chic, choir, chop, choppiness, chopping sea, classy, claviature, clothes-conscious, clotheshorse, cock, comb, comber, console, cool, corking, corn, cosmopolitan, count, coxcomb, crackerjack, crash, crescendo, custos, cyst, dab, dabster, daimio, dandy, dapper, dash, dashing, deafen, delicious, deluxe, develop, diastole, dilatation, dilate, dilation, din, direct, dirty water, distend, distension, dot, down, dressed to advantage, dressed to kill, dropsy, drumlin, ducky, dude, duke, dune, eagre, earl, ebb and flow, echo, edema, eighty-eight, elaborate, elegant, enlarge, enlargement, esquire, expand, expansion, expression mark, exquisite, extend, extension, extravagant, fab, fancy, fashion plate, fashionable, fatten, fell, fermata, fidget, fill out, fill the air, fine, fine and dandy, fine gentleman, fingerboard, first-class, first-rate, flatulence, flatulency, flatus, flip out, flutter, foothills, fop, freak out on, fribble, fullness, furuncle, gain, gain strength, gallant, gassiness, gear, genteel, gentleman, get ahead, get high on, glorious, glow, go pitapat, go up, goggle, grand, grand duke, grandee, grandiose, gravity wave, great, greaten, groovy, ground swell, grow, have the fidgets, have the shakes, hear, heave, heavy, heavy sea, heavy swell, hidalgo, hike, hike up, hill, hillock, hold, hot, huff, hummock, hunky-dory, imposing, impressive, increase, inflate, inflation, intensify, intensity, intumescence, ivories, jack-a-dandy, jackanapes, jam-up, jaunty, jerk, just dandy, keen, key signature, keyboard, keys, knob, knoll, lace-curtain, lady-killer, laird, landgrave, lead, lift, ligature, look big, lop, lord, lordling, loudishness, loudness, lounge lizard, lump, luxurious, macaroni, magnate, magnificent, magnifico, magnify, majestic, man-about-town, manual, margrave, mark, marquis, marvy, masher, master, mean, measure, meteorism, metronomic mark, modish, molehill, monticle, monticule, moor, mound, mount, multiply, mushroom, natty, neat, nifty, nob, nobby, noble, nobleman, notation, okay, optimate, organ manual, out of sight, overdevelop, overdistend, overdraw, overexpand, overextend, overstrain, overstretch, palatial, palpitate, palsgrave, pant, past master, patrician, pause, peachy, peachy-keen, peacock, peak, peal, pedals, peer, piano keys, pimple, plush, pock, pontificate, pooch, pop, popple, posh, pouch, pout, presa, princely, pro, proliferate, proud, puff, puff up, puffiness, puffing, pump, pump up, puppy, pustule, put on, put on airs, put on side, quake, quaver, quiver, raise, rarefy, rattle the windows, recherche, rend the air, rend the ears, resound, riffle, ring, ripping, ripple, rise, rise and fall, rising, ritz it, ritzy, rock the sky, roll, roller, rough water, round out, rum, run up, sand dune, scend, scrumptious, sea, sebaceous cyst, segno, seigneur, seignior, send, shake, sharp, shiver, shoot up, sign, signature, silk-stocking, slap-up, sleek, slur, smart, smash, smashing, smug, snazzy, snowball, soigne, soignee, solid, solo, something else, sonority, sonorousness, sophisticated, spark, spectacular, spiffing, spiffy, splendacious, splendid, splendiferous, split the eardrums, split the ears, sport, spread, spruce, squire, squirm, startle the echoes, stately, step up, strain, strengthen, stretch, stretching, stun, stunning, style-conscious, stylish, sufflate, sumptuous, super, superb, superfancy, superfine, surf, surge, surge of sound, swagger, swank, swanky, swell it, swell out, swell with emotion, swellage, swelling, swollenness, symbol, tempo mark, terrific, thoroughbred, thrill, thrill to, thrilling, throb, thunder, tidal bore, tidal wave, tide wave, tie, time signature, tingle, tingle with excitement, toss, toss and turn, tough, tremble, tricksy, trig, trim, trough, tsunami, tumble, tumefaction, tumefy, tumescence, tumidity, tumidness, tumor, turgescence, turgescency, turgidity, turgidness, turn on to, twist and turn, twitch, twitter, tympanism, tympany, undulate, undulation, up, upper-cruster, vinculum, viscount, volume, waldgrave, water wave, wave, wavelet, wax, well-dressed, well-groomed, wen, white horses, whitecaps, whiz, widen, wiggle, windiness, wizard, wonderful, wriggle, writhe
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