distension

noun

variants or distention
Definition of distensionnext
as in inflation

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of distension Other symptoms include difficulty breathing, weakness of other muscles, abdominal distension, and constipation. — Saleen Martin, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026 Difficulty in breathing, weakness of other muscles, abdominal distension, and constipation may also be common symptoms. — Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 21 Jan. 2026 Botulism Symptoms Symptoms of botulism include general weakness, dizziness, double vision, speech or swallowing difficulties, muscle weakness, abdominal distension and constipation. — Matt Cannon, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025 Symptoms, which often develop slowly, can include abdominal distension and pain, nausea, loss of appetite and constipation. — Toria Sheffield, People.com, 25 May 2025 Bloating and Gas Bloating, also known as abdominal distension, is considered a common side effect of Ibsrela. — Femi Aremu, Verywell Health, 8 Apr. 2025 Symptoms of botulism include general weakness, dizziness, double-vision, abdominal distension and constipation, according to the FDA. — David Faris, Newsweek, 17 Mar. 2025 Bloating sometimes makes your belly look bigger, which is called distention. — Johna Burdeos, Health, 21 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distension
  1. inflation
  2. enlargement
  3. escalation
  4. amplification
  5. augmentation
  6. expansion
Noun
  • The rise of loans at Americans’ fingertips Short-term financing has skyrocketed in popularity since the pandemic, when the emergence of these on-demand pay tools, as well as buy-now, pay-later apps aligned with increases in inflation.
    — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Given Abbey’s anxieties about spending money and fear of not having enough, Stacy plans to use very conservative assumptions for inflation, health costs and average returns when making her projections based on Abbey’s savings today.
    — Jeanne Sahadi, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of inflation
Noun
  • Boris Yeltsin’s Russia had struggled to avoid NATO enlargement.
    — MICHAEL KIMMAGE, Foreign Affairs, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Surakot said that the clinic’s management claimed Ubiribo had been a patient at the clinic since 2024 and had received five penile enlargement injections.
    — Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of enlargement
Noun
  • Container freight rates have soared since the start of the war in Iran in late February, largely due to the escalation in oil prices amid ongoing disruptions at the Strait of Hormuz.
    — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The primary driver behind this current rally is the ongoing escalation of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
    — , CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of escalation
Noun
  • The Cornell case is perfectly calibrated for platform amplification on social media.
    — Scott Baldauf, Christian Science Monitor, 9 Oct. 2026
  • What’s Happening The clearest consumer breakout came in August 2023, when Trader Joe’s frozen kimbap sold out nationally after social-media amplification and in-store scarcity.
    — Lauren Schuster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of amplification
Noun
  • Work that once required a team of specialists can now be handled by a fraction of that team, with the right augmentation.
    — Vikas Verma, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Teoxane that pulls a bit of a magic trick; metallic and foil eye shadow sticks with a magnetic design from Danessa Myricks Beauty; and a new way to perform one of plastic surgery’s most popular procedures, breast augmentation, from Motiva.
    — Elizabeth Siegel, Allure, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of augmentation
Noun
  • Blue Origin’s expansion reflects the infrastructure demands of a higher launch cadence.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
  • During her State of the Union address on 16th September, President von der Leyen committed to overhauling single market rules by the end of next year and advancing EU Inc to streamline cross-border expansion.
    — Sophie Dembinski, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of expansion

Browse Nearby Words

distends
distension
distensions
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Distension.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distension. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All