dilate

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 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 The arteries then dilate slowly until the arrival of the next norepinephrine wave. Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 8 Jan. 2025 Magnesium plays a key role in dilating intracranial blood vessels, so low levels can negatively affect blood flow to the area.14 7. Chelsea Rae Bourgeois, Rdn, Health, 23 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for dilate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dilate
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
Verb
  • Some think those numbers are inflated, others an undercount: Medical journal The Lancet estimated 64,000 dead.
    Nicholas D. Kristof, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2025
  • If every passenger in the car prefers their own sleeping mat, Nemo Equipment has thin, lightweight sleeping pads that are easy to inflate.
    Christopher Murray, Fox News, 16 Mar. 2025
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
Verb
  • The change was stark, as Paramount has been a leader in promoting diversity in Hollywood, championing initiatives to increase representation on-screen through programming as well as behind the scenes, through programs designed to diversify writers, directors and producers.
    Doug Melville, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
  • The researchers found that kids could reliably come up with loopholes quickly on demand by age eight, with their skill increasing between age five and seven.
    Charlotte Hu, Scientific American, 27 Mar. 2025
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
  • The Chiefs have already expanded in the TV space with last year’s Hallmark Channel film Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story; and with the online claymation short A Kingdom Christmas Story: Hail Merry.
    Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 28 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • And Musk’s theatricalities are impotent: Government spending will grow as long as baby boomers continue to retire, the population ages and Congress continues to enlarge the national debt with gargantuan budget deficits.
    George Will, Twin Cities, 20 Mar. 2025
  • The stadium enlarged along with United’s trophy cabinet.
    Michael Walker, The Athletic, 15 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • In November 2024, the actor and comedian told People that he was diagnosed in October after an upper respiratory infection caused swelling in his lymph nodes.
    Vlada Gelman, TVLine, 31 Mar. 2025
  • The audio swells into an overwhelming crescendo of sound as the musician’s name and the album title flash across the screen.
    Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 31 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • After the combination mixes and ignites in the combustion chamber, the resulting high-pressure gases produce thrust and eventually accelerate the rocket into the hypersonic realm.
    Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 22 Mar. 2025
  • This flywheel is then accelerated even further since Austin is now home to some of the world’s leading investors, like Jim Breyer, the legendary VC who has been on the boards of Dell, Etsy, Facebook, Marvel, Spotify, Wal-Mart, and 21st Century Fox.
    Amir Husain, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dilate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dilate. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.

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