dilation

[ dahy-ley-shuhn, dih- ]
See synonyms for dilation on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the act of dilating; state of being dilated.

Origin of dilation

1
First recorded in 1590–1600; dilate + -ion

Other words from dilation

  • non·di·la·tion, noun
  • o·ver·di·la·tion, noun
  • self-di·la·tion, noun

Words Nearby dilation

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use dilation in a sentence

  • After all, women now use Facebook to share sonogram pictures, breast-feeding tips, and even cervical dilation during labor.

    Birth as Performance Art? | Jennifer Block | October 17, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • Breadth is the dilation of the heart, length is long-suffering, height is hope, and depth is faith.

    A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 1 (of 10) | Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)
  • Systole and diastole, the contraction and dilation of the heart and arteries.

    Essays | Ralph Waldo Emerson
  • His eyes, wide open, had a ghastly gleam, which the dilation of the pupils rendered all the more hideous.

    The Yellow Rose | Mr Jkai
  • They are capable of contraction, of dilation, of partial interpenetration and distortion, but never of dissolution.

  • She looked at him in a mighty wonder, her dark eyes open to their widest, and looking black by the extreme dilation of the pupils.

    The Trampling of the Lilies | Rafael Sabatini

Scientific definitions for dilation

dilation

[ dī-lāshən, dĭ- ]


  1. The widening or stretching of an opening or a hollow structure in the body.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.