to expand or be expanded by or as if by pressure from within; swell; inflate - (transitive)
to stretch out or extend
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
dis•tend /dɪˈstɛnd/USA pronunciation
v.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- to expand by stretching: [~ + object]Air distends a balloon.[no object]The balloon distended to about five inches in length.
dis•tend
(di stend′),USA pronunciation v.t., v.i.
dis•tend′er, n.
- to expand by stretching, as something hollow or elastic:Habitual overeating had distended his stomach.
- to spread in all directions;
expand;
swell:The sea distended about them.
- Latin distendere, equivalent. to dis- dis-1 + tendere to stretch
- Anglo-French destendre)
- late Middle English (1375–1425
- 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged See expand.
- 1, 2.See corresponding entry in Unabridged enlarge, bloat.
- 1, 2.See corresponding entry in Unabridged shrink, contract.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'distend' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):