swell

to become larger and rounder than usual; to (cause to) increase in size or amount: It was obvious she had broken her toe, because it immediately started to swell (up).

very good ​very good, a lot of fun, etc. We had a swell time.

I often use the word swell as an adverb meaning "excellent". That comes from a now-archaic adjective meaning "stylish" which was first attested in 1810 (use of it as a single positive expression is from 1930s American slang).

A swell is a series of mechanical or surface gravity waves generated by distant weather systems that propagate thousands of miles across oceans and seas. It's a succession of massive and crestless wind waves characterized by a narrow range of long wavelengths.

The limbs swell to an enormous size. When you develop a throat infection or catch a cold the glands in the neck swell up. She could see her two sons swell with pride. Heavenly music swelled from nowhere.

If the amount or size of something swells or if something swells it, it becomes larger than it was before. If something such as a part of your body swells, it becomes larger and rounder than normal. Swell up means the same as swell. If you swell with a feeling, you are suddenly full of that feeling.

Swelling is the result of the increased movement of fluid and white blood cells into the injured area. The release of chemicals and the compression of nerves in the area of injury cause pain. The pain and swelling can keep the athlete from using the injured part, serving to protect it from further injury.

Surf is swell that has arrived in shallow enough water to rise up above the surface, and break. You can imagine that the lefthand side of the below diagram represents swell, and the righthand side represents surf. A single wave in a swell has two dimensions: height and length.

The cartilage in my nose would swell up. An allergic reaction made it swell up and fuse. He's been bitten so many times that he doesn't even swell up any more. My ears would blister and swell up.

Synonyms of swell

• great.
• excellent.
• terrific.
• wonderful.
• lovely.
• awesome.
• fantastic.
• superb.

My foot swelled up to three times the normal size when it was stung by a wasp. Excessive moisture will cause the wood to swell. Tourists swell the local population during the summer months. My arm swelled up where I was stung by a bee.

There are three main types of swell: groundswell, windswell, and hurricane swell, each with its own characteristics that affect the way waves form at a particular beach.