swelling Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun an abnormal protuberance or localized enlargement
    puffiness; lump.
  2. noun something that bulges out or is protuberant or projects from its surroundings
    protrusion; extrusion; bulge; gibbousness; hump; prominence; bump; excrescence; jut; gibbosity; protuberance.
    • the gun in his pocket made an obvious bulge
    • the hump of a camel
    • he stood on the rocky prominence
    • the occipital protuberance was well developed
    • the bony excrescence between its horns
  3. noun the increase in volume of certain substances when they are heated (often accompanied by release of water)
    intumescence; intumescency.
  4. verb increase in size, magnitude, number, or intensity
    swell.
    • The music swelled to a crescendo
  5. verb become filled with pride, arrogance, or anger
    puff up; swell.
    • The mother was swelling with importance when she spoke of her son
  6. verb expand abnormally
    swell up; swell; intumesce; tumefy; tumesce.
    • The bellies of the starving children are swelling
  7. verb come up (as of feelings and thoughts, or other ephemeral things)
    swell; well up.
    • Strong emotions welled up
    • Smoke swelled from it
  8. verb come up, as of a liquid
    swell; well.
    • Tears well in her eyes
    • the currents well up
  9. verb cause to become swollen
    swell.
    • The water swells the wood

WordNet

Swell"ing noun
Definitions
  1. The act of that which swells; as, the swelling of rivers in spring; the swelling of the breast with pride.
    Rise to the swelling of the voiceless sea. Coleridge.
  2. A protuberance; a prominence; especially (Med.), an unnatural prominence or protuberance; as, a scrofulous swelling.
    The superficies of such plates are not even, but have many cavities and swellings. Sir I. Newton.

Webster 1913