adj, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   Any substance that swells on exposure to heat, thus increasing in volume and decreasing in density.

   "Intumescents are used in some fire protection systems."

Adjective

1. 1
   That becomes swollen, especially upon exposure to heat. not-comparable

Adjective

1. 1
   abnormally distended especially by fluids or gas wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

bloateddistendedpuffyswollentumescenttumid

Example

More examples

"Intumescents are used in some fire protection systems."

Etymology

From Latin intumēscēns, present participle of intumescō (“rise, swell”), from tumescō (“become inflated”).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.