dilate
Example Sentences
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Atropine eye drops are typically used to dilate the pupil before eye exams.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 28, 2025
However, in their new study published in the peer-reviewed journal Attention, Perception & Psychophysics, the researchers reported that a person's pupils also dilate when they are concentrating on tasks.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 22, 2024
As a result, blood flow to that area increases dramatically as blood vessels dilate, causing pain and swelling.
From National Geographic ● Feb. 21, 2024
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
“Your pupils don’t dilate as they once did,” the vuvv complains.
From "Landscape with Invisible Hand" by M.T. Anderson
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
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
Isiekwe returned to the England squad and Test action after having open-heart surgery to fix a dilated aorta in September 2022.
From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2026
He peered inside Henrietta, dilated her cervix, and prepared to treat her tumor.
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
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
Vocabulary lists containing dilate
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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Selected Short Stories of Flannery O'Connor
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"The Tragedy of Hamlet," Vocabulary from Act 1
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