DILATE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does dilate mean? 

• DILATE (verb)
  The verb DILATE has 2 senses:

1. become wider

2. add details, as to an account or idea; clarify the meaning of and discourse in a learned way, usually in writing

  Familiarity information: DILATE used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DILATE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they dilate    ... he / she / it dilates   
Past simple: dilated   
Past participle: dilated   
-ing form: dilating   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Become wider

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

dilate; distend

Context example:

His pupils were dilated

Hypernyms (to "dilate" is one way to...):

widen (become broader or wider or more extensive)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

dilatation (the act of expanding an aperture)

dilatation (the state of being stretched beyond normal dimensions)

dilation (the act of expanding an aperture)

dilator (a surgical instrument that is used to dilate or distend an opening or an organ)

dilator (a drug that causes dilation)

dilator (a muscle or nerve that dilates or widens a body part)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Add details, as to an account or idea; clarify the meaning of and discourse in a learned way, usually in writing

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

dilate; elaborate; enlarge; expand; expatiate; exposit; expound; flesh out; lucubrate

Context example:

She elaborated on the main ideas in her dissertation

Hypernyms (to "dilate" is one way to...):

clarify; clear up; elucidate (make clear and (more) comprehensible)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "dilate"):

detail (provide details for)

exposit; expound; set forth (state)

exemplify; illustrate; instance (clarify by giving an example of)

particularise; particularize; specialise; specialize; specify (be specific about)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

dilation (a lengthy discussion (spoken or written) on a particular topic)

 Context examples 

Secretions may be present in the lumina of the dilated acini.

(Columnar Cell Change of the Breast, NCI Thesaurus)

Secretions are often present in the lumina of the dilated acini.

(Columnar Cell Hyperplasia of the Breast, NCI Thesaurus)

These lesions are characterized by the presence of columnar epithelial cells that line dilated terminal ductal lobular units.

(Columnar Cell Lesion of the Breast, NCI Thesaurus)

It is characterized by the presence of tortuous and cystically dilated glands, edematous changes, and inflammation.

(Colon Juvenile Polyp, NCI Thesaurus)

Coreg blocks certain receptors on nerve cells and causes blood vessels to dilate (widen).

(Carvedilol, NCI Dictionary)

During the first stage of labor, your cervix slowly opens, or dilates, to about 4 inches wide.

(Childbirth, Dept. of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health)

A congenital abnormality in the lungs characterized by the presence of dilated lymphatic vessels in the interlobar, perivascular, and peribronchial areas of the lungs.

(Congenital Pulmonary Lymphangiectasia, NCI Thesaurus)

It is characterized by the presence of dilated veins surrounded by glomus cells.

(Cutaneous Glomangioma, NCI Thesaurus)

Morphologically, there are nodules of tubular glands and occasional papillary structures growing in dilated ducts.

(Pancreatic Intraductal Tubulopapillary Neoplasm, NCI Thesaurus)

The part of the nervous system that slows the heart, dilates blood vessels, decreases pupil size, increases digestive juices, and relaxes muscles in the gastrointestinal tract.

(Parasympathetic nervous system, NCI Dictionary)