Definition of "distention" [dis•ten•tion]

• The act of distending or the state of being distended. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The stomach distention is a bitch, but not having to worry about one's next meal for a week is a bonus."
• "Sharp division of the gall-bladder causes no pain, but distention, which is the gall-bladder's most common pathologic state, produces pain."
• "This sensation reaches its climax with the expulsion of the semen into the urethra and the consequent feeling of distention, which is instantly followed by the rhythmic peristaltic contractions of the urethral muscles which mark the climax of the orgasm."