dilate

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 28, 2025

As a result, blood flow to that area increases dramatically as blood vessels dilate, causing pain and swelling.

From National Geographic ● Feb. 21, 2024

For example, the pupil tends to dilate during complex cognitive tasks or in response to unexpected stimuli.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2023

And it is still widely considered effective as a nasal spray, or when it is used in surgery and to dilate the eyes.

From New York Times ● Sep. 12, 2023

The color vanishes from his face and I can actually see his pupils dilate in fear.

From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins

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

It no longer dilates, and Hagelin struggled with depth perception early in his rehabilitation.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 21, 2023

While mifepristone blocks progesterone, a hormone needed to support pregnancy, misoprostol contracts and dilates the cervix to expel the embryo.

From Salon ● Feb. 15, 2023

It sucks and booms and splashes and rumbles; it shifts and dilates and falls over itself; the labyrinth of Saint-Malo has opened onto a portal of sound larger than anything she has ever experienced.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

He later suffered two cardiac arrests and was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, external, a heart condition which can lead to heart failure.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026

In a dark room, a doctor pointed to an hourglass shape glowing on the ultrasound screen: There was her amniotic sac, funneling into her dilated cervix, and there was their tiny daughter’s foot, dipping out.

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

Her pupils were so dilated that her eyes glittered and shone, becoming giant orbs of darkness.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall

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

Kaede’s eyes were light brown; Taisin saw her pupils dilating as they looked at each other, dusk spinning out around them, cloaking them in shadow.

From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo