swell

{{Roman}}I.{{/Roman}}

noun

1 movement of the surface of the sea

ADJECTIVE

▪ heavy

▪ gentle, slight

▪ 10-foot, 20-foot, etc.

▪ Atlantic, ocean

▪

The ship was bobbing up and down like a small boat in a heavy ocean swell.

SWELL + VERB

▪ break, come in, roll in, surge up

▪

The Atlantic swell surged up under them.

PREPOSITION

▪ in a/the swell

▪

The trawler rolled wildly in the heavy swell.

▪ on the swell

▪ with the swell

▪

The boat rose and fell with the swell.

2 curve in sth

ADJECTIVE

▪ gentle, soft

PREPOSITION

▪ swell of

▪

the gentle swell of her breasts

{{Roman}}II.{{/Roman}}

verb

ADVERB

▪ badly

▪

His sprained ankle had swollen badly.

▪ slightly

▪ up

▪

Her feet swelled up after the long walk to the top of the hill.

PREPOSITION

▪ to

▪

My fingers and thumbs swelled to grotesque proportions.

▪ with

▪

Her legs had swollen with the heat.

PHRASES

▪ swell shut

▪

His right eye had almost swollen shut.

Swell is used with these nouns as the subject: ↑belly, ↑chest, ↑crowd

Swell is used with these nouns as the object: ↑rank