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Synonyms

engorgement

American  
[en-gawrj-muhnt] / ɛnˈgɔrdʒ mənt /

noun

  1. congestion of the vessels or ducts of a part of the body with blood, milk, or other bodily fluid.

    Midwives may use acupressure techniques to reduce breast engorgement after delivery.

  2. the act of feeding on something greedily or excessively.

    In cows and other ruminants, engorgement on grain can lead to hyperacidity and impaired microbial digestion.

  3. the condition of being flooded, overfilled, or oversupplied.

    The reef just below Station 54 is the probable cause of the engorgement of the river during its high phase.

    Speculators took advantage of deregulation and the parasitic engorgement of the financial world.


Etymology

Origin of engorgement

First recorded in 1605–15; engorge ( def. ) + -ment ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

“The engorgement of the American vehicle,” as Gregory Shill of the University of Iowa has called it, can kill pedestrians and people in smaller vehicles.

From New York Times Aug. 23, 2022

If true, the rapid engorgement would solve paradoxes like why the heavens look uniform from pole to pole and not like a jagged, warped mess.

From New York Times Mar. 17, 2014

A woman who stopped breastfeeding suddenly is experiencing breast engorgement and leakage, just like she did in the first few weeks of breastfeeding.

From Textbooks Jun. 19, 2013

The first few weeks of breastfeeding may involve leakage, soreness, and periods of milk engorgement as the relationship between milk supply and infant demand becomes established.

From Textbooks Jun. 19, 2013

Acute catarrh of the stomach is associated with intense hyperaemia of its lining coats, with visible engorgement and swelling of the mucous membrane, and an excessive secretion of mucus.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 4 "Diameter" to "Dinarchus" by Various

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