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di·late
 dilate
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- pronunciation:
- daI
leIt
- parts of speech:
- transitive verb, intransitive verb
- features:
- Word Combinations (verb)
| part of speech: |
transitive verb |
| inflections: |
dilates, dilating, dilated |
| definition: |
to make wider or larger; enlarge; expand.
I dilated her pupils with eye drops.- synonyms:
- enlarge
- antonyms:
- circumscribe, constrict, contract
- similar words:
- amplify, broaden, develop, expand, magnify, open, widen
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| related words: |
aggrandize, billow, distend, inflate, swell |
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| part of speech: |
intransitive verb |
| definition 1: |
to become wider or larger; swell or spread.
- synonyms:
- enlarge, expand, swell, widen
- antonyms:
- constrict, contract
- similar words:
- broaden, spread
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| definition 2: |
to explain or discuss something at length (often fol. by "upon").
The students hoped the professor would dilate upon the theory in the next class so they could understand it better.- synonyms:
- amplify, enlarge, expatiate, expound
- similar words:
- discourse, elaborate, expand
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| related words: |
bloat, open, swell, wax |
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| derivation: |
dilatable (adj.) |
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