What does "distention" mean?

Alternative form of distension (“the act of distending”).

What is a synonym for "distention"?

Common synonyms include: distension, bloating, dilatation, dilation, enlargement, expansion.

Pronounced //dɪsˈtɛnʃən//.

/dɪsˈtɛnʃən/ noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Noun

1
Alternative form of distension (“the act of distending”). alt-of, alternative, countable, uncountable
2
the act of expanding by pressure from within wordnet
3
the state of being stretched beyond normal dimensions wordnet

From Middle French distension.