bloat

[bloht]

verb (used with object)

1. to expand or distend, as with air, water, etc.; cause to swell.

   Overeating bloated their bellies.

   Synonyms: balloon, enlarge, inflate, inflate, swell, swell

2. to puff up; make vain or conceited.

   The promotion has bloated his ego to an alarming degree.

3. to cure (fishes) as bloaters.

verb (used without object)

1. to become swollen; be puffed out or dilated.

   The carcass started to bloat.

noun

1. Also called hoven. Veterinary Pathology.,  (in cattle, sheep, and horses) a distention of the rumen or paunch or of the large colon by gases of fermentation, caused by eating ravenously of green forage, especially legumes.

2. a person or thing that is bloated.

3. bloater.

bloat

/ bləʊt /

verb

1. to swell or cause to swell, as with a liquid, air, or wind

2. to become or cause to be puffed up, as with conceit

3. (tr) to cure (fish, esp herring) by half-drying in smoke

noun

1. vet science an abnormal distention of the abdomen in cattle, sheep, etc, caused by accumulation of gas in the stomach

Word History and Origins

Origin of bloat¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; earlier bloat (adjective) “soft, puffy,” Middle English blout, from Old Norse blautr “wet, soft”

Word History and Origins

Origin of bloat¹

C17: probably related to Old Norse blautr soaked, Old English blāt pale

Example Sentences

Currently, known side effects are the risk of stomach upset, muscle cramps and bloating.

From BBC

"She had a bloated abdomen, was irritable and unable to eat anything because the foetuses were squashing her stomach," Dr Anand said.

From BBC

Blockbusters can be "bloated" and "boring", he adds, plucking out 2017's Transformers: The Last Knight as an example.

From BBC

"I've really been struggling, not only with stomach bloating, physical pain but also with my mental health on the basis that I thought at one point this was all just in my head," she said.

From BBC

Despite a noticeable bloating after lying out in the sun, the team found that the whales had all been healthy - though they had not been feeding recently.

From BBC

Related Words

• inflate 
• swell