distends

verb

present tense third-person singular of distend
as in expands
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 distends
  1. expands
  2. swells
  3. increases
Verb
  • Even without their local ties, Gash are a shoe-in at Eaux Claires, the Wisconsin music festival founded by Justin Vernon that expands on the experimental curiosity and unhurried approach at the heart of Bon Iver’s latter career.
    — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The presentation comes as Netflix separately expands its AI ambitions, including its acquisition of Ben Affleck’s filmmaking technology company InterPositive.
    — Davide Abbatescianni, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of expands
Verb
  • These wetlands, connected to the river, act as natural reservoirs that absorb and hold water, especially when the river swells with meltwater or heavy rain.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Each month, roughly a dozen are consistently in the audience, though the number swells depending on the agenda.
    — Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of swells
Verb
  • If Skydance increases spending on content, that could push its competitors to also invest more, Laurent Yoon, senior analyst at the research and brokerage firm Bernstein, told me.
    — Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Though this increases the X-Y dimensions, Apple worked closely with the system team to ensure the phones' internals could support this slightly larger package.
    — Eric Zeman, PC Magazine, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of increases
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

“Distends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distends. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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