swell out
B2 neutral inseparable intransitive
In simple words
To push outward and become rounder or bigger, like a sail filling with wind.
Literal meaning: To swell in an outward direction — expanding away from a centre point.
Meanings
1 B2 neutral
To expand or curve outward in a smooth, full, rounded way, especially of fabric or sails catching air.
"The sails swelled out as the wind picked up and the yacht began to move."
Grammar: inseparable
2 B2 neutral
To become inflated or distended outward, of a physical structure or body part.
"The walls of the old warehouse had begun to swell out under the weight of the stored grain."
Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes
More commonly used for non-bodily expansion — sails, fabric, walls — than for medical swelling (for which 'swell up' is preferred). Has a slightly literary or descriptive quality. Less common in everyday speech.
Commonly used with
sails fabric chest walls curtains belly
Forms
Base
swell out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
swells out
he/she/it
Past simple
swelled out
yesterday
Past participle
swelled out
have + pp
-ing form
swelling out
continuous
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Synonyms
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