Entry 2 senses · 2 variants Webster, 1913 Dilation /dīlˌ-āsh'-ən/ · Di·la·tion · IPA /daɪˈleɪʃən/ n. n. 01 n. Delay. 1. Delay.[Obs.] 02 n. The act of dilating, or the state of being dilated; expansion; dilatation. 1. The act of dilating, or the state of being dilated; expansion; dilatation. “At first her eye with slow dilation rolled.” — Tennyson. “A gigantic dilation of the hateful figure.” — Dickens.