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 Brianna’s eyes glassy in surrender, pupils dilated. —Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2025 Your capillaries, dilated by exercise, carry heat from your core out to your skin. —Outside Online, 19 Feb. 2025 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 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 pup’s abdomen was firm and distended.
    — Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2025
  • 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
Definition of distend
Verb
  • The pitcher owns a lifetime 3.82 ERA, but that's inflated from his early-career struggles.
    — Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 19 Apr. 2025
  • Tesla is inflating odometer numbers to avoid paying for under-warranty repairs, according to a class-action lawsuit filed in California.
    — Emily Forlini, PC Magazine, 18 Apr. 2025
Definition of inflate
Verb
  • 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
  • The rubber match has augmented stakes in a Tournament field with increasing parity.
    — Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Definition of augment
Verb
  • The price of buying a foreign car could increase by anywhere between $5,000 to $15,000, Goldman Sachs estimates.
    — Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 1 Apr. 2025
  • The European Union has unveiled an $840 billion plan to increase its defense spending, and the German parliament just passed historic constitutional amendments to take on unprecedented levels of debt to facilitate a massive defense investment.
    — Elizabeth Shackelford, Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2025
Definition of increase
Verb
  • In 2024, the league took concrete steps in that direction, expanding the number of international roster spots from five per team to seven.
    — Asli Pelit, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Now that the charter will expand the incoming council to nine members, if the bill is adopted, changing the line would require six council member votes.
    — Luke Parker, Baltimore Sun, 10 Apr. 2025
Definition of expand
Verb
  • The purpose of the destruction was quickly made clear to him and his fellow soldiers: Israel was enlarging the buffer zone separating Palestinians from Israeli communities along the Gaza border.
    — Jeremy Diamond, CNN Money, 7 Apr. 2025
  • If the exteriors were constrained to faithful re-creations, the interiors offered vessels for experimentation, with two-story volumes carved out of both homes, rear windows reconfigured or enlarged, and ceiling height added by raising the roof and digging into the basement.
    — Sam Cochran, Architectural Digest, 18 Mar. 2025
Definition of enlarge
Verb
  • 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
  • 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
Definition of swell
Verb
  • The improved coding and long-context capabilities could accelerate software development cycles, enabling developers to tackle more complex problems, analyze legacy code more effectively, or generate code documentation and tests more efficiently.
    — Janakiram MSV, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
  • This process can accelerate movement toward extreme issue-position groups and identities.
    — Jen Cole Wright, The Conversation, 14 Apr. 2025
Definition of accelerate

Browse Nearby Words

dilatations
dilate
dilated
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Cite this Entry

“Dilate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dilate. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

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