dilate

Word family

di·late /daɪˈleɪt/ verb [intransitiveI, transitiveT]

1 WIDEif a hollow part of your body dilates or if something dilates it, it becomes wider 扩张，张大，膨胀 OPP contract

dilated pupils

扩大的瞳孔

2 dilate on/upon something phrasal verbphr v formal EXPRESSto speak or write a lot about something 详述某事，铺叙某事

He dilated upon their heroism.

他详述了他们的英勇行为。

Examples from the Corpus

dilate on/upon • To catch the voice of truth itself dilating on the great problems of reality will be one of my prime technical aims.

—dilation /daɪˈleɪʃən/ noun [uncountableU]

Examples from the Corpus

dilate• If it is hungry, the moment the food dish appears the animal's pupils will dilate.• The blood vessels then dilate, allowing blood to flow more easily.• When caffeine blocks these receptors, blood vessels dilate, increasing the filtration rate and producing more urine.• The irises had seemed to dilate into black pools of despair.• The doctor put drops in my eyes to dilate my pupils.• To catch the voice of truth itself dilating on the great problems of reality will be one of my prime technical aims.• Roughly a quarter of all patients respond to conventional drugs that dilate the vessels.• Yet he wonders whether the human soul can dilate to comprehend a world which lacks localities and the native affections they inspire.

Origin dilate

(1300-1400) French dilater, from Latin latus “wide”

Chinese

Syllable

Corpus

TOEFL IELTS BNC: 19079 COCA: 18343

dilate

To become larger: grow, expand, swell...