distended

adjective

dis·​tend·​ed di-ˈsten-dəd 

: enlarged, expanded, or stretched out (as from internal pressure)

The abdomen was mildly distended with moderate tenderness …

—Timothy Melester et al.

Pre-Columbian jewelry worn in a large hole made in a greatly distended earlobe.

—H. Newman

And she began to preen herself and to rearrange her feathers, while Daggie lay down again on his distended stomach and gazed out the doorway.

—Dick King-Smith

Did you know?

When Should You Use distended?

Before giving you a shot, the nurse may wrap a rubber tube around your upper arm to distend the veins. When the heart isn't pumping properly, the skin of the feet and ankles may become distended. A doctor who notices that an internal organ has become distended will always want to find out the cause. As you can see, distended tends to be a medical term.

Synonyms

• swollen

Examples of distended in a Sentence

bees with abdomens distended with honey are less apt to sting

Recent Examples on the Web

Following too much pasta or one too many sweet treats, my stomach gets quite sensitive—resulting in a feeling of tightness and a distended, rumbling tummy. —Kiana Murden, Vogue, 20 May 2025

Bloating causes your belly to feel full and look distended. —Kathleen Felton, Health, 9 June 2024

But for all its brawn and atmosphere and robustly choreographed combat, this is a distended historical tapestry too sprawling to remain compelling, particularly when its focus veers away from the central couple. —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019

Chemtrails draws you into a different speed, a distended sense of time and sound. —Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1578, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for distended

• amended
• appended
• ascended
• attended
• befriended
• commended
• contended
• defended
• depended
• descended
• emended
• expended