as in swollen
enlarged beyond normal from internal pressure
bees with abdomens distended with honey are less apt to sting
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in swelled
to make or become larger especially because of pressure from inside
The illness can cause the stomach to distend.
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of distended
Emma Flint, IndieWire, 25 Nov. 2025
Once per act, a second duo crashes in on Didi and Gogo, providing the tramps’ power balance with a lurid, distended foil.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2025
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
Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 19 Feb. 2026
The fragile skeleton of her ego threatened to snap under the pressure of the animal forces that pressed down on her consciousness, her narrative mind sagging and distended beneath pitiless and grandiose feeling.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2026
In the last 20 days, their belly will appear distended, and their nipples and breast tissue will be noticeably swollen.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Nov. 2025
Adjective
The distended episodes were littered with what feels like filler, little of which offered much in the way of narrative value.
—Emma Flint, IndieWire, 25 Nov. 2025
Once per act, a second duo crashes in on Didi and Gogo, providing the tramps’ power balance with a lurid, distended foil.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2025
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
Verb
My stomach wasn't distended anymore.
—Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 19 Feb. 2026
The fragile skeleton of her ego threatened to snap under the pressure of the animal forces that pressed down on her consciousness, her narrative mind sagging and distended beneath pitiless and grandiose feeling.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2026
In the last 20 days, their belly will appear distended, and their nipples and breast tissue will be noticeably swollen.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distended
Adjective
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Early March 14, ICE said in its statement, Mohammed Nazeer Paktiawal was eating breakfast when medical staff noted that his tongue had become swollen, prompting a medical response.—
Marissa Armas,
CBS News,
16 Mar. 2026
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To shorten a branch, make a cut above a healthy bud, and remove whole branches by cutting at an angle at the swollen collar area where the branch meets the trunk.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The number of 24/7 livestreams created per year swelled by about 3,000% between 2019 and 2025, Mauldin’s data show.—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
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The room swelled with hooting and clapping as Samson Fellows climbed onstage.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Sunain has expanded its robot data capture to homes in Turkey, Singapore, Canada and Malaysia.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
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The company later expanded globally, providing voting machines and other technology to help carry out elections in 25 countries, from Argentina to Zambia.—
JOSHUA GOODMAN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Career Connections program allowing students to learn career skills and earn credentials, Skipper highlighted, started off with around 1,000 students four years ago and has now increased to over 4,000 students.—
Grace Zokovitch,
Boston Herald,
10 Mar. 2026
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Before that, the rate had increased 56% over two years.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This week, plaintiff Matthew Stockov filed a lawsuit in a United States District Court of the Northern District of Illinois alleging that Costco inflated its prices due to the tariff shock.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
13 Mar. 2026
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And that total was inflated by KU’s senior day, with Peterson and Bidunga playing off the bench to make room for seniors in the starting five.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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How pathetically far this blithering, unprincipled piece of trash has gone to endanger other lives, to expressly distract and deflect from his own wicked deeds, and to further benefit his grifting family’s larcenously enlarged bounties.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
8 Mar. 2026
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The Horsebit is slightly enlarged for a more dramatic effect.—
Karla Rodriguez,
Footwear News,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Distended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distended. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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