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View synonyms for

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: ,
    Antonyms: ,
  2. to spread in all directions; expand; swell.

    The sea distended about them.

    Synonyms: ,
    Antonyms: ,


distend

/ ɪˈɛԻ /

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

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • distender noun
  • overdistend verb
  • undistend verb (used with object)
  • 徱ˈٱԲDz noun
  • 徱ˌٱԲˈٲ noun
  • 徱ˈٱԻ noun
  • 徱ˈٱԲ adjective
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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”
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Word History and Origins

Origin of distend1

C14: from Latin distendere, from dis- 1 + tendere to stretch
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Synonym Study

See expand.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

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

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

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

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

From

He still had the slightly distended belly and sagging skin which indicate malnutrition in children.

From

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