dilated; dilating
1
a
: to become enlarged or widened
Kim's eyes dilated while the outdoor stadium rocked in celebration.—
Ralph Wiley
Ralph Wiley… arterioles continually dilate and constrict.—Janet Raloff
Janet Raloff
also
: to display or become affected by expansion or widening of a body part
The expectant mother was dilating slowly. [=The expectant mother's cervix was dilating slowly.]
b
: to become expanded in extent
Understandably, a tendency to philosophize dilated with old age.—Anthony Powell
Anthony PowellTime dilates when you mentally hop continents.—Bret Wallach
Bret Wallach2
: to comment at length : discourse
—usually used with on or upon
It's no small irony that a man who made a career out of dilating on failure should have ended up a success.—James Atlas
James AtlasHe dwells and dilates upon every highlight and lowlight …—The New Yorker
The New Yorker1
a
: to enlarge, widen, or cause to expand
Nitric oxide is a potent vasodilator that increases blood flow by dilating blood vessels.—Ruth MacPete
Ruth MacPeteInhalers, the standard treatment for asthma, relieve wheezing by delivering an agent that dilates the bronchioles …—Tony Dajer
Tony DajerCocaine … increases the heart rate, raises the blood pressure and, in large doses, increases the body temperature and dilates the pupils of the eyes.—Craif Van Dyke and Robert Byck
Craif Van Dyke and Robert Byck
b
: to expand in extent
dilate our cultural knowledge
Like millions of other urban youths in the 1960s, Tian got a chance to dilate his horizons when he was sent into the countryside during the Cultural Revolution to learn from the peasantry.—Lawrence Chua
Lawrence Chua2
archaic
: to describe or set forth at length or in detail
Do me the favor to dilate at full / What hath befallen of them …—William Shakespeare
William ShakespeareExamples of dilate in a Sentence
The drug causes the blood vessels to dilate.
During labor, a woman's cervix will dilate to about 10 centimeters.
The drug dilates the blood vessels.
Recent Examples on the Web
To heal, the body releases a range of substances (mainly hormones and inflammatory molecules) that dilate blood vessels to help blood and immune cells reach the injured tissue.
—Julia Ries Wexler, Outside, 16 Oct. 2025
Pupils dilate, breathing accelerates, heart rate and blood pressure rise.
—Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 15 Oct. 2025
Doctors gave her Pitocin, a medication used to provoke contractions, and a Foley balloon, which is a catheter-like device that gets the cervix to dilate.
—Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
For the test, your provider will place drops in your pupils to dilate (widen) them, which gives a clearer view of your eye structures.
—Lindsay Curtis, Health, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dilate
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Julia Ries Wexler, Outside, 16 Oct. 2025
Pupils dilate, breathing accelerates, heart rate and blood pressure rise.
—Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 15 Oct. 2025
Doctors gave her Pitocin, a medication used to provoke contractions, and a Foley balloon, which is a catheter-like device that gets the cervix to dilate.
—Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
For the test, your provider will place drops in your pupils to dilate (widen) them, which gives a clearer view of your eye structures.
—Lindsay Curtis, Health, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dilate
Cite this Entry
“Dilate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dilate. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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Medical Definition
dilated; dilating
: to enlarge, widen, or cause to expand
dilate his pupils with atropine
the drug dilates peripheral arteries
: to become enlarged, expanded, or widened
the cervix was dilating
the pupils dilated
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