What term refers to the process of making something bigger or expanding?

The term that refers to the process of making something bigger or expanding is "dilate." This term is often used in a medical context to describe the widening of blood vessels, pupils, or other anatomical structures. Dilation involves an increase in size, typically in response to physiological signals or changes in pressure.

While "enlarge," "inflate," and "stretch" can also imply an increase in size, they carry different connotations and specific contexts. "Enlarge" generally refers to making something larger and is more commonly used in general language rather than a technical or physiological sense. "Inflate" usually applies to filling something with air or gas, which expands its size but does not necessarily relate to natural physiological processes. "Stretch" suggests extending something by pulling or applying force, which may not always result in a uniform expansion like dilation does. Thus, "dilate" is the most precise term regarding the expansion of anatomical structures in a health science context.