fluctuate

[ fluhk-choo-eyt ]
See synonyms for: fluctuatefluctuatedfluctuating on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object),fluc·tu·at·ed, fluc·tu·at·ing.
  1. to change continually; shift back and forth; vary irregularly: The price of gold fluctuated wildly last month.

  2. to move back and forth in waves.

verb (used with object),fluc·tu·at·ed, fluc·tu·at·ing.
  1. to cause to fluctuate.

Origin of fluctuate

1
First recorded in 1625–35; from Latin fluctuātus “undulated,” past participle of fluctuāre “to flow,” equivalent to fluctu(s) “a flowing” (derivative of fluere “to flow”) + -ātus-ate1

synonym study For fluctuate

1. See waver1.

Other words for fluctuate

Other words from fluctuate

  • non·fluc·tu·at·ing, adjective
  • un·fluc·tu·at·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use fluctuate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fluctuate

fluctuate

/ (ˈflʌktjʊˌeɪt) /


verb
  1. to change or cause to change position constantly; be or make unstable; waver or vary

  2. (intr) to rise and fall like a wave; undulate

Origin of fluctuate

1
C17: from Latin fluctuāre, from fluctus a wave, from fluere to flow

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012