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
Verb
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More than 100 peacocks are wreaking havoc in the Italian seaside town of Punta Marina on the Adriatic coast, leading to local divisions over what to do about the swelling colony.—
Amarachi Orie,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026 -
Fluid can start to leak out into surrounding tissues and collect there, which can show up as swelling in areas like the face and around the eyes, said Johnson.—
Kathleen Ferraro,
Verywell Health,
14 May 2026
Verb
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With revenue-sharing challenges mounting across college athletics — and some schools already cutting sports — expanding the playoff has become a potential financial lifeline.—
Trey Wallace OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
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According to Abbott's office, the Texas Department of Public Safety is immediately expanding the Texas Repeat Offender Taskforce to the Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio and Austin metropolitan areas.—
Mateo Rosiles,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Verb
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James Ward During the debate, Republican candidate Steve Hilton said that only a small percentage of California has been developed for housing, arguing that the state should focus on building homes on undeveloped land rather than increasing density in existing cities.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
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Doing so compresses the light reflected from the plasma, thereby increasing its intensity.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
14 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Distending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distending. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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