dilate (on or upon)

verb

ˈdī-ˌlāt How to pronounce dilate (on or upon) (audio)
Definition of dilate (on or upon)next
as in to develop
to express more fully and in greater detail refused to dilate upon his alleged plan for improving the economy in the event that he won the election

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dilate (on or upon)
  1. develop
  2. expand
  3. supplement
Verb
  • Researchers have developed a paper-thin foot membrane that lets crawling microrobots harvest electricity directly from the ground beneath them, ditching heavy onboard batteries by turning metal and silicon surfaces into an active power source.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Neil Carleton, a cancer biologist and first-year resident physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said that breast tumors can develop and grow differently in older patients than in younger ones because of hormone levels and inflammation.
    — Allessandra DiCorato, STAT, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of develop
Verb
  • The same architecture can now support another round of measurements from orbit as the constellation expands.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The episode ultimately reunites Constance with two of her children, Tate and Adelaide (Jamie Brewer), as the season continues to expand its connections to the show’s earlier installments.
    — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of expand
Verb
  • To supplement government aid during the surge, the Minneapolis Foundation collected millions of dollars from corporations based in the city.
    — Alex Harring, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The river water will supplement the Prettyboy and Loch Raven reservoirs and serve parts of Baltimore City and County.
    — Ellie Buckheit, Baltimore Sun, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of supplement
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.

Browse Nearby Words

dilated (on or upon)
dilate (on or upon)
dilates
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dilate (on or upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dilate%20%28on%20or%20upon%29. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Luddite

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All