Idiom idiom
swell up
Meaning
To become swollen
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“My ankle started to swell up after I twisted it.”
“If you get a bad bee sting, the area will likely swell up and become quite painful.”
“Following the intense allergic reaction, the patient noticed his throat begin to swell up, necessitating an immediate trip to the emergency room.”
Anchors to
Last updated August 10, 2026