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
  • Axel Springer is expanding in the Middle East, joining a growing number of Western publishers with an editorial presence in the region — and testing a key pillar of its editorial beliefs.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Mamdani’s signature 2-K program is scheduled to launch this fall with 2,000 students in select school districts, with the goal of expanding citywide over four years.
    — Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 31 Aug. 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.

Browse Nearby Words

distended
distending
distends
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Cite this Entry

“Distending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distending. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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