Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of verb dilate

2 senses of dilate

Sense 1
dilate, distend -- (become wider; "His pupils were dilated")
       => widen -- (become broader or wider or more extensive; "The road widened")

Sense 2
elaborate, lucubrate, expatiate, exposit, enlarge, flesh out, expand, expound, dilate -- (add details, as to an account or idea; clarify the meaning of and discourse in a learned way, usually in writing; "She elaborated on the main ideas in her dissertation")
       => clarify, clear up, elucidate -- (make clear and (more) comprehensible; "clarify the mystery surrounding her death")