好词典

swell

UK //swel//US //swel//

词源

源自古英语swellan,与荷兰语zwellen、德语schwellen同源,原始日耳曼语词根*swellaną意为'膨胀'。

verb

❶ 指物体因内部压力或吸收液体而逐渐变大或膨胀,常用于描述身体部位、气球或材料等。

“Her ankle began to swell after the fall.”

(摔倒后她的脚踝开始肿了起来。)

“The river swelled after the heavy rain.”

(大雨过后河水上涨了。)

同义词:expand, inflate, enlarge, bulge, puff up

noun

❶ 指海浪的缓慢起伏或逐渐增强的状态,也用于描述逐渐增加的数量或强度。

“The boat rocked gently on the ocean swell.”

(小船随着海浪轻轻摇晃。)

“A swell of applause followed her speech.”

(她的演讲结束后响起一阵热烈的掌声。)

同义词:wave, surge, increase, rise, upswell

adjective

❶ 非正式用法中表示极好的、出色的,常用于20世纪中期的口语表达。

“You look swell in that new suit!”

(你穿那套新西装帅极了!)

“That's a swell idea for the party.”

(这个派对主意棒极了。)

同义词:excellent, great, superb, fantastic, terrific

常见短语

swell up — 指身体部位因受伤或过敏反应而明显肿胀。

“My mosquito bites swelled up and became very itchy.”

(我的蚊子包肿了起来,变得非常痒。)

ground swell — 指海底地震引起的长浪,也比喻逐渐形成的强大舆论或趋势。

“There's a ground swell of support for environmental protection.”

(环保支持正在形成强大声势。)