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View synonyms for

dilate

[dahy-leyt, dih-, dahy-leyt]

verb (used with object)

dilated, dilating 
  1. to make wider or larger; cause to expand.

  2. Archaic.to describe or develop at length.



verb (used without object)

dilated, dilating 
  1. to spread out; expand.

  2. to speak or write at length; expatiate (often followed by on orupon ).

dilate

/ ˌdaɪləˈteɪʃən, ˌdɪ-, daɪˈleɪt, dɪ-, daɪˈleɪtɪv, dɪ- /

verb

  1. to expand or cause to expand; make or become wider or larger

    the pupil of the eye dilates in the dark

  2. (intr; often foll by on or upon) to speak or write at length; expand or enlarge

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • dilatability noun
  • dilatable adjective
  • nondilatability noun
  • nondilatable adjective
  • overdilate verb
  • redilate verb
  • self-dilated adjective
  • subdilated adjective
  • undilatable adjective
  • undilated adjective
  • undilating adjective
  • 徱ˈپDz noun
  • ˌ徱ˈٲپDzԲ adjective
  • 徱ˈٲ adjective
  • 徱ˌٲˈٲ noun
  • dilative adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of dilate1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English dilaten, from Middle French dilater, “to comment at length, enlarge,” from Latin ī “to spread out, widen,” equivalent to ī- di- 2 + (ܲ) “wide” + - infinitive suffix
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Word History and Origins

Origin of dilate1

C14: from Latin ī to spread out, amplify, from dis- apart + ٳܲ wide
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Synonym Study

See expand.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

“I have been in lunch rooms where women are in labor, dilated, and trying to work until the very last minute because they don’t have enough days.”

From

The active ingredient in Rush and other poppers is alkyl nitrite, a chemical that instantly dilates blood vessels when inhaled, producing a brief but intense feeling of euphoria.

From

After a heart scan, Joey said clinicians diagnosed him with steroid-induced dilated cardiomyopathy - a condition that causes the heart to enlarge and weaken, making it difficult to pump blood.

From

Importantly, the researchers also developed a polygenic risk score to assess a person's likelihood of developing dilated cardiomyopathy based on the many small effects of these genes.

From

The fetus was on the verge of coming out, its head pressed against her dilated cervix; she was 17 weeks pregnant and a miscarriage was “in progress,” doctors noted in hospital records.

From

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