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
  • Corbet issued a statement defending the AI use cases amid swelling online revolt.
    — Jake Angelo, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Funding shortfalls and political fights over who should pay for childcare have stalled federal action, leaving states to deploy one-off surpluses while families’ need and waitlists keep swelling.
    — Moriah Balingit, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of swelling
Verb
  • Wade was one of Gansey’s first real finds as an executive, and behind the scenes pushed for his ever expanding role with the Cavaliers.
    — Tony Jones, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Four large hangars now dominate parts of the expanding facility.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of expanding
Verb
  • The team stopped at 800 N because increasing the load further would require additional protective equipment, with a separate destructive limit test planned.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Rattlesnake sightings are increasing across Texas, with warnings issued at schools and athletic fields.
    — Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 2 Sep. 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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Cite this Entry

“Distending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distending. Accessed 9 Sep. 2026.

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