verb
dilate
deye-LAYT
verb
1
To become or make wider, larger, or more open.
"Her pupils dilated in the dark room."
"Doctors use drops to dilate the eyes before an exam."
2
(formal) To speak or write about something at length.
"He dilated on the subject for nearly an hour."
How to Use Dilate
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo widen or expand, especially used for pupils, blood vessels, or the cervix.
Common pairings
pupils dilate
dilate the cervix
Word Forms
more dilate comparative, dilated past tense, dilated past tense, dilates singular, dilates singular, most dilate superlative
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Etymology
From Latin dilatare, "to spread out," from dis- plus latus, "wide."