dilate

verb

Definition of dilatenext
as in to distend

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb dilate differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of dilate are amplify, distend, expand, inflate, and swell. While all these words mean "to increase in size or volume," dilate applies especially to expansion of circumference.

dilated pupils

When is amplify a more appropriate choice than dilate?

In some situations, the words amplify and dilate are roughly equivalent. However, amplify implies the extension or enlargement of something inadequate.

amplify the statement with details

When can distend be used instead of dilate?

The words distend and dilate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, distend implies outward extension caused by pressure from within.

a distended abdomen

Where would expand be a reasonable alternative to dilate?

Although the words expand and dilate have much in common, expand may apply regardless of the manner of increase (such as growth, unfolding, addition of parts).

a business that expands every year

When is it sensible to use inflate instead of dilate?

The synonyms inflate and dilate are sometimes interchangeable, but inflate implies expanding by introduction of air or something insubstantial and suggests a vulnerability to sudden collapse.

an inflated ego

When would swell be a good substitute for dilate?

The words swell and dilate can be used in similar contexts, but swell implies gradual expansion beyond a thing's original or normal limits.

the bureaucracy swelled to unmanageable proportions

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dilate An anxious cat, however, will have their eyes wide and unblinking, and their pupils will be dilated into an oval or circle, according to Purina. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 19 Feb. 2025 His face is a death mask: gaunt and soiled, teeth pebbly, eyes dilated but piercing in their last hint of blued luminescence. —Matt Thompson, SPIN, 3 Feb. 2025 When the norepinephrine level went down, the process worked in reverse: the blood vessels dilated, letting the blood in and pushing the cerebrospinal fluid out. —Ars Technica, 20 Jan. 2025 Before your surgeon starts, your eyes will be dilated and examined, and an IV will be placed. —Perri Ormont Blumberg, TIME, 16 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dilate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dilate
  1. distend
  2. inflate
  3. augment
  4. increase
  5. expand
  6. enlarge
  7. swell
  8. accelerate
Verb
  • The Most Exciting New Advances in Managing COPD With another strategy, diaphragmatic breathing, patients concentrate on distending their abdomen while taking in air.
    — Matt Fuchs, TIME, 24 Oct. 2024
  • Abdominal bloating is when the stomach feels full of gas and may become distended (sticks out).
    — Amber J. Tresca, Verywell Health, 14 Sep. 2024
Definition of distend
Verb
  • Some critics have also said the doctors were used in propaganda and voter mobilization efforts to boost the chances of Venezuela’s socialist government and were pressed by superiors to inflate patients’ treatment numbers.
    — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2025
  • He was honorably discharged after he was seriously injured on a jump when his parachute failed to inflate fully.
    — Sabrina Clay, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2025
Definition of inflate
Verb
  • The rubber match has augmented stakes in a Tournament field with increasing parity.
    — Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Attention also could be paid to dismantling foreign anticompetitive market distortions, in order to augment the benefits achieved through the Task Force.
    — Alden Abbott, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
Definition of augment
Verb
  • That reticence could conceivably involve suppressing concerns about how the U.S. military’s increasing involvement in domestic missions is placing strains on resources and readiness.
    — Risa Brooks, Foreign Affairs, 8 Apr. 2025
  • Fortunately, a new moon will rise on April 27; therefore, resulting in dark skies and increasing the chance of visibility.
    — Skyler Caruso, People.com, 8 Apr. 2025
Definition of increase
Verb
  • In this slice-of-life portrait, Chen shows how childhood experiences can shape someone, illustrating how a childhood passion might expand their horizons without necessarily becoming a lifelong vocation.
    — Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 29 Mar. 2025
  • Under his stewardship, Le Bon Marché underwent a significant renovation, expanding its floor area by 43,000 square feet.
    — Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 28 Mar. 2025
Definition of expand
Verb
  • The beast’s skull was strange, too, having a long and low profile but bearing enlarged, tusk-like incisor teeth in both jaws.
    — Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2025
  • What This Means Discovery of H5N1 in a sheep enlarges the list of nonbird animals now known to be susceptible to the virus.
    — Josh Fischman, Scientific American, 24 Mar. 2025
Definition of enlarge
Verb
  • The agency hopes the undertaking will accommodate population swells on Fort Worth’s western outskirts.
    — Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Before the pandemic, Jackson County Public Health had about 30 employees, but swelled to about 120 during the crisis.
    — Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2025
Definition of swell
Verb
  • Business leaders obtain the necessary insights to reduce carbon and material usage, accelerate CSRD compliance, and accurately measure the financial and sustainability impact of their decisions.
    — Sophia Mendelsohn, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
  • President Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffs Wednesday affecting all U.S. trading partners and imports, plowing ahead on a risky economic strategy that promises to further accelerate a global trade war and raise anxieties about higher consumer prices at home.
    — Joey Garrison, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2025
Definition of accelerate

Browse Nearby Words

dilatations
dilate
dilated
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dilate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dilate. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

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