distending
Expanding from within
Distending is the present participle of distend, meaning to swell or expand from internal pressure.
A stomach distends after a large meal; a balloon distends as air fills it.
The word typically describes organic swelling—a distending bladder, veins distending with blood—rather than mechanical expansion.
Causing to expand
- enlargingIncreasing the size of
- ballooningSwelling or aerial drifting
- growingIncreasing or enlarging
- bulgingSwelling outward visibly
stretching · widening · dilating · billowing · spreading · filling · pressurizing · augmenting
Pathological tissue puffiness
- inflammationProtective tissue response
- swellingAbnormal tissue enlargement
- tumorAbnormal tissue mass
- engorgementOverfilling causing swelling
enlargement · turgidity · tumescence · intumescence · protuberance · puffiness · bulge · aneurysm
Swelled from excess
- swollenAbnormally enlarged
- pregnantGestating offspring internally
- bellyFront midsection
- stomachDigestive organ below chest
gas · fullness · pressure · cramping · taut · stretched · uncomfortable · tight
inflating
Causing to expand
- enlargingIncreasing the size of
- ballooningSwelling or aerial drifting
- growingIncreasing or enlarging
bulging · stretching · widening · dilating · billowing · spreading · filling · pressurizing · augmenting · amplifying
edema
Pathological tissue puffiness
- inflammationProtective tissue response
- swellingAbnormal tissue enlargement
- tumorAbnormal tissue mass
engorgement · enlargement · turgidity · tumescence · intumescence · protuberance · puffiness · bulge · aneurysm · hernia
bloated
Swelled from excess
stomach · gas · fullness · pressure · cramping · taut · stretched · uncomfortable · tight · protruding
stretching
Extending muscles or material
flexible · membrane · balloon · rubber · skin · tissue · capacity · resilience · expandable · yielding
- puffing upswelling, bloating, inflating, expanding, ballooning
- Too Muchoverflowing, spilling, flooding, stuffing, cramming
distendingcontracting
Reducing in volume
shrinking · compressing · deflating · constricting · collapsing
distendingdeflating
Releasing contained gas
emptying · evacuating · decompressing · collapsing · depressurizing
tent, extend, pretend, tense, intend, tension, extensive, intended, tendency