dilate
[ dahy-leyt, dih-, dahy-leyt ]
/ daɪˈleɪt, dɪ-, ˈdaɪ leɪt /
Save This Word!
verb (used with object), di·lat·ed, di·lat·ing.
to make wider or larger; cause to expand.
Archaic. to describe or develop at length.
verb (used without object), di·lat·ed, di·lat·ing.
to spread out; expand.
to speak or write at length; expatiate (often followed by on or upon).
QUIZZES
THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?
Did you ever collect all those state quarters? Put them to good use on this quiz about curious state monikers and the facts around them.
Question 1 of 8
Mississippi’s nickname comes from the magnificent trees that grow there. What is it?
Origin of dilate
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English dilaten, from Middle French dilater, “to comment at length, enlarge,” from Latin dīlātāre “to spread out, widen,” equivalent to dī- di-2 + lāt(us) “wide” + -āre infinitive suffix
synonym study for dilate
1. See expand.
OTHER WORDS FROM dilate
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH dilate
dilate , diluteWords nearby dilate
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for dilate
British Dictionary definitions for dilate
dilate
/ (daɪˈleɪt, dɪ-) /
verb
to expand or cause to expand; make or become wider or largerthe pupil of the eye dilates in the dark
(intr; often foll by on or upon) to speak or write at length; expand or enlarge
Derived forms of dilate
Word Origin for dilate
C14: from Latin dīlātāre to spread out, amplify, from dis- apart + lātus wide
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Medical definitions for dilate
dilate
[ dī-lāt′, dī′lāt′ ]
v.
To make or become wider or larger.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.