distends
Expands from pressure
Distends is the third-person singular form of distend, meaning to swell or expand from internal pressure.
Organs and body parts distend when filled with gas, fluid, or other contents: The abdomen distends after a large meal.
The word applies beyond anatomy to anything that stretches outward under pressure, though medical and biological contexts dominate its use.
Abnormally enlarged
- engorgedSwollen from excess filling
- inflatedExpanded with gas
- turgidSwollen or pompous
- puffySwollen with air
bulging · tumescent · ballooned · enlarged · edema · bloated · tumid · puffiness
swollen
Abnormally enlarged
puffy · bulging · tumescent · ballooned · enlarged · edema · bloated · tumid · puffiness · edematous
elasticity
Tendency to resume original form
taut · tension · stretched · deform · flexibility · membrane · skin · balloon · bladder · stomach wall
abdomen
Torso's lower cavity
bladder · intestine · colon · uterus · organ · tissue · vein · artery · bowel · alimentary
distendscontracts
Enforceable written agreements
shrinks · compresses · deflates · collapses · constricts