distend

[dih-stend]

verb (used with or without object)

1. to expand by stretching, as something hollow or elastic.

   Habitual overeating had distended his stomach.

   Synonyms: bloat, enlarge
   Antonyms: contract, shrink

2. to spread in all directions; expand; swell.

   The sea distended about them.

   Synonyms: bloat, enlarge
   Antonyms: contract, shrink

distend

/ dɪˈstɛnd /

verb

1. to expand or be expanded by or as if by pressure from within; swell; inflate

2. (tr) to stretch out or extend

3. (tr) to magnify in importance; exaggerate

Other Word Forms

• distension noun
• distensibility noun
• distender noun
• distensible adjective
• overdistend verb
• undistend verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of distend¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English distenden (from Anglo-French destendre ), from Latin distendere, equivalent to dis- dis- ¹ + tendere “to stretch”

Word History and Origins

Origin of distend¹

C14: from Latin distendere, from _dis- ¹ + tendere to stretch

Synonym Study

See expand.

Example Sentences

After weeks of the world seeing images of starving children, with distended stomachs and protruding bones, many will feel like the signs that a famine was imminent were a long time coming.

From BBC

It has something to do with the opening glimpse we get of an unsettling Russian snuff video: dangling figures, distended bellies, eyes that plead for help.

From Los Angeles Times

Mrs Cook's symptoms worsened over the following months: her appetite "diminished", she needed to urinate more and by September 2021 her stomach had distended to the point that she looked pregnant.

From BBC

Onyeaka wondered if that abundance could be harnessed to feed people in conflict zones where children were suffering from malnutrition, their distended stomachs a clear sign of protein deficiency.

From Salon

His eye looked "very distended, swollen," he said.

From BBC