Meaning & use
dilating
Last updated
Becoming or making wider, larger, or more open.
See it in a sentence
Her pupils were dilating slowly as the room grew darker.
The doctor watched the cervix dilating throughout early labor.
A note on using this word
"Dilate" comes from Latin dilatare, "to spread out," and is used heavily in medical contexts describing organs, pupils, or blood vessels.
Words with a similar meaning
wideningexpanding
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
constrictingnarrowing
Another way to use it
2. verb
To speak or write about a subject at length.
He dilated at length on the merits of the new policy.
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