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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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
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 19 Mar. 2026
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
Far more gut-wrenching were the toddlers with bellies distended from worms or malnutrition, the young adults with legs bent at odd angles caused by preventable polio, or the elderly fated never to set foot off an island in the Atlantic 34 miles long and 18 miles wide.
—Jill Tucker, San Francisco Chronicle, 16 July 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
Boxing scenes in movies, other than in a handful of classics, tend to start to look all the same, a mishmash of beads of sweat and blood and jowels distended, all fists flying and battering as two men catapult and careen across the ring.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 19 Mar. 2026
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
Far more gut-wrenching were the toddlers with bellies distended from worms or malnutrition, the young adults with legs bent at odd angles caused by preventable polio, or the elderly fated never to set foot off an island in the Atlantic 34 miles long and 18 miles wide.
—Jill Tucker, San Francisco Chronicle, 16 July 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distended
Adjective
-
Brian Hooker told an officer he had been assaulted by his wife, who struck him multiple times, according to the report, which said he was found with a swollen, bloody nose.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Meanwhile, the supple leather stretches to accommodate swollen feet.—
Irene Richardson,
InStyle,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That city has swelled in recent weeks with people fleeing the Israeli invasion in the country's south, which has displaced more than a million people.—
NPR Staff,
NPR,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The ranks of Americans that can add guac to their burrito bowl guilt-free have swelled.—
Sam Klebanov,
Fortune,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Most eateries have expanded outdoor seating.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The candy’s original logo had three balloons to represent Airheads' first three flavors — cherry, watermelon and strawberry — but as the company expanded the varieties, it was changed to a balloon mascot, known as Oscar.—
Erin Clements,
PEOPLE,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The stopout population keeps growing overall, even as annual stopouts have declined and reenrollment has increased, according to data from the National Student Clearinghouse.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
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Overtime increased by 65% between 2019 and 2024 alone, the study said.—
Jeff McDonald,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Regardless of how the capsule lands, five giant airbags will be inflated with helium at the top of the capsule to help keep it upright as recovery crews work to secure the spacecraft and prepare to extract the astronauts.—
Tom Costello,
NBC news,
10 Apr. 2026
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The rapid, relentless, exponential expansion of the Universe took whatever entropy might have pre-existed within a specific region of space — occupying a certain volume of space — and inflated that volume to tremendous quantities.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Khamsi cites the example of hemimegalencephaly, a rare disorder in which half of the brain is abnormally enlarged.—
Jerome Groopman,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Contemporary metal windows were taken out in favor of broad panes of glass framed by wood and a skylight above the stairs was enlarged, showing ways to bring more light into the dark townhomes they were sometimes tapped to reimagine.—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Distended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distended. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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