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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Dissimilar Words
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
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On the third day, his forehead and eyes were puffy and swollen.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
26 Mar. 2026
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The next morning, doctors noted that his tongue had become swollen, DHS said.—
Fousia Abdullahi,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Formed in 1949, the alliance initially included 12 countries, but has swelled to 32 members.—
Kaia Hubbard,
CBS News,
1 Apr. 2026
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But this winter, despite the thin and vanishing snowpack, the Black River swelled.—
Shi En Kim,
AZCentral.com,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The war in Iran and the ensuing collapse in traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has driven more cargo to Pakistani ports and effectively expanded their role in wider trade throughout South and Southeast Asia.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
1 Apr. 2026
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To help financially vulnerable property owners get through taxes, Bristol offers senior volunteer tax credits and senior circuit-breaker programs, and has expanded its veterans tax exemptions.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Airport security lines increased, some stretching multiple hours in hubs such as Houston and Atlanta, as TSA officers called out and hundreds across the country quit.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
31 Mar. 2026
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JetBlue increased the fees as airlines maneuver to cover their rising jet fuel costs, which have soared since the Iran war began.—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Earlier this month, Bianco’s office seized over 1,000 boxes of ballots cast in the November 2025 special election after a local group claimed elections officials had inflated vote tallies, which Riverside County Registrar of Voters Art Tinoco denied.—
Lia Russell,
Sacbee.com,
26 Mar. 2026
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Finally, the Pontos' seat gets inflated and secured inside the cockpit.—
Ben Coxworth
March 25,
New Atlas,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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How pathetically far this blithering, unprincipled piece of trash has gone to endanger other lives, to expressly distract and deflect from his own wicked deeds, and to further benefit his grifting family’s larcenously enlarged bounties.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
8 Mar. 2026
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The Horsebit is slightly enlarged for a more dramatic effect.—
Karla Rodriguez,
Footwear News,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Distended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distended. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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