dilate

Atropine eye drops are typically used to dilate the pupil before eye exams.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 28, 2025

A typical remedy is to stretch or dilate the urethra, a minimally invasive procedure that is often performed with general anesthesia, Dr. Lepor said.

From New York Times ● Feb. 12, 2024

Just as the eye's pupils constrict or dilate like a camera's aperture to adjust how much light gets in, the ears too have their own way to regulate hearing.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 22, 2023

At regular concentrations of about 1 percent, atropine is used to dilate the pupil for eye exams.

From National Geographic ● Nov. 1, 2023

I stand in the room, letting the pupils of my eyes dilate, like a cat’s or owl’s.

From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood

It's a different sort of time and it moves, it dilates.

From Salon ● Feb. 6, 2024

Their study, published Dec. 5 in the journal Cell, focuses on nitric oxide, a compound that dilates blood vessels, improves memory, fights infection and stimulates the release of hormones, among other functions.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 8, 2023

Adenosine is a by-product of energy metabolism, but it also acts as an inhibitory neurotransmitter—a chemical messenger that affects brain cells and dilates blood vessels.

From Scientific American ● Oct. 25, 2023

The drug also dilates the cervix and blocks the effects of progesterone, which is needed to sustain a pregnancy.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 8, 2022

At the edge of the rectangle, a thin slit of light dilates wider.

From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith

And if the aorta is dilated a certain amount, patients often undergo an elective surgery to fix it.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026

The fetus’ head was pressed up against her dilated cervix, and a miscarriage was, according to her medical record, “inevitable.”

From Salon ● May 27, 2026

About 35 minutes in, Lamphere’s vitals started spiking; her heart rate quickened, she grew hot, her pupils dilated, she began grinding her teeth.

From Slate ● Jan. 30, 2026

After she was released, she went to the hospital where doctors told her she had already dilated two centimeters.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2025

Fahim’s nostrils flared as he took hard breaths in and out through his nose; Shomari’s pupils were dilated.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

Scholars and intellectuals dilating in their little books: None of that matters anymore.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 15, 2026

Erectile dysfunction drugs, which work by dilating blood vessels to allow more blood to flow through, were first developed to treat high blood pressure.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 7, 2024

The exhaustive format played to President Macron's strengths: his mastery of detail and obvious delight in dilating on every conceivable subject.

From BBC ● Jan. 17, 2024

Some also have trouble with the lining of their small blood vessels not dilating and constricting properly to move blood through, she added.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 9, 2023

The Queen leaned toward her, and she was so close now that Kaede could see the Queen’s pupils dilating.

From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo