as in to expand
to make or become larger especially because of pressure from inside
The illness can cause the stomach to distend.
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Recent Examples of distend
The fear grew when her 1-year-old boy's belly started to distend and his ribs were pressed against his skin.
—
Brad Schmitt, Nashville Tennessean, 19 Oct. 2025
The effect is to both collapse and distend time until all the souls in the book, most of them nameless anyway, exist at the same time, in the same place, forever.
—Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 3 Mar. 2025
The pup’s abdomen was firm and distended.
—Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2025
The Most Exciting New Advances in Managing COPD With another strategy, diaphragmatic breathing, patients concentrate on distending their abdomen while taking in air.
—Matt Fuchs, TIME, 24 Oct. 2024
Abdominal bloating is when the stomach feels full of gas and may become distended (sticks out).
—Amber J. Tresca, Verywell Health, 14 Sep. 2024
His stomach was distended — a sign of severe malnutrition.
—Joe Snell, Washington Post, 30 July 2024
The dress had been constructed from a boudoir-ish bodice, which distended into a full-skirted ballgown, giving the impression of deliberate deshabillé, as if the design had been left unfinished on the mannequin.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 17 Apr. 2024
Isaiah was also malnourished and dehydrated at the time of his death, with his small and large intestines markedly distended.
—Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2017
Brad Schmitt, Nashville Tennessean, 19 Oct. 2025
The effect is to both collapse and distend time until all the souls in the book, most of them nameless anyway, exist at the same time, in the same place, forever.
—Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 3 Mar. 2025
The pup’s abdomen was firm and distended.
—Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2025
The Most Exciting New Advances in Managing COPD With another strategy, diaphragmatic breathing, patients concentrate on distending their abdomen while taking in air.
—Matt Fuchs, TIME, 24 Oct. 2024
Abdominal bloating is when the stomach feels full of gas and may become distended (sticks out).
—Amber J. Tresca, Verywell Health, 14 Sep. 2024
His stomach was distended — a sign of severe malnutrition.
—Joe Snell, Washington Post, 30 July 2024
The dress had been constructed from a boudoir-ish bodice, which distended into a full-skirted ballgown, giving the impression of deliberate deshabillé, as if the design had been left unfinished on the mannequin.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 17 Apr. 2024
Isaiah was also malnourished and dehydrated at the time of his death, with his small and large intestines markedly distended.
—Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distend
Verb
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At the crux of those tensions are a gaping trade imbalance and efforts from the US to ensure its national security against an increasingly assertive China, including by expanding restrictions on China’s access to American high tech, like the advanced semiconductors needed to power AI.—
Betsy Klein,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
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Seeing as how the first tribe swap failed to shake anything up and gave us two more obvious telegraphed votes, the producers decided to blow it all up again and expand back to three tribes.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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She was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition and underwent emergency surgery, during which doctors removed part of her skull to relieve swelling.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
25 Oct. 2025
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Venezuela’s armed forces comprise roughly 109,000 active personnel, but the total number swells when paramilitary and reserve units are included.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The cuts come after Chegg in May laid off 22% of its workforce, citing increasing adoption of AI.—
Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
28 Oct. 2025
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With increasing space traffic from various nations and private companies, keeping tabs on potential collisions and threats becomes crucial.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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To heal, the body releases a range of substances (mainly hormones and inflammatory molecules) that dilate blood vessels to help blood and immune cells reach the injured tissue.—
Julia Ries Wexler,
Outside,
16 Oct. 2025
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Pupils dilate, breathing accelerates, heart rate and blood pressure rise.—
Jennifer Borresen,
USA Today,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Distend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distend. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
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