distending

verb

present participle of distend
as in swelling
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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for distending
  1. swelling
  2. expanding
  3. increasing
Verb
  • The night had brought booming thunder through a steady rain, swelling the rivers and creeks that ran through or just around the town.
    — Jesse Bedayn, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
  • Myfembree may cause swelling of your face, lips, mouth or tongue, trouble breathing, skin rashes, and redness.
    — Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 14 July 2026
Definition of swelling
Verb
  • To solve the dearth of heirs, government ministers have proposed reinstating former branches of the royal family, thereby expanding the pool of male successors.
    — Hanako Montgomery, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
  • While Rodriguez and other supporters have pushed to preserve the unit, critics of expanding Sheriff’s Office funding argue that the county should instead invest in social and community services.
    — Reeti Malhotra July 13, Sacbee.com, 14 July 2026
Definition of expanding
Verb
  • After months of decline, gas prices across the country are steadily increasing after the fragile ceasefire between Iran and the United States broke down last week.
    — Mirtha Donastorg, AJC.com, 15 July 2026
  • Medicare regulators on Tuesday proposed to ban vendors from providing remote patient monitoring services on behalf of doctors, a major policy change for a rapidly growing care model that’s been the subject of increasing scrutiny.
    — Mario Aguilar, STAT, 15 July 2026
Definition of increasing
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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“Distending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distending. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on distending

Nglish: Translation of distending for Spanish Speakers

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