oscillate
to swing or move to and fro, as a pendulum does.
to vary or vacillate between differing beliefs, opinions, conditions, etc.: He oscillates regularly between elation and despair.
Physics. to have, produce, or generate oscillations.
Mathematics. (of a function, sequence, etc.) to tend to no limit, including infinity: The sequence 0, 1, 0, 1, … oscillates.
to cause to move to and fro; vibrate.
Origin of oscillate
1synonym study For oscillate
Other words for oscillate
Other words from oscillate
- in·ter·os·cil·late, verb, in·ter·os·cil·lat·ed, in·ter·os·cil·lat·ing.
- un·os·cil·lat·ing, adjective
Words that may be confused with oscillate
- oscillate , osculate
Words Nearby oscillate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use oscillate in a sentence
“After a catch-up effect in these months, we expect retail sales to oscillate around current levels in coming months before embarking again on a gradual uptrend,” Berenberg said.
Retail continues to charge back, this time in the U.K. But clothing, fuel sales lag | David Meyer | August 21, 2020 | FortuneThese cyclical wobbles, called Milankovitch cycles, cause the amount of sunlight to vary at middle latitudes by up to 25% and cause the climate to oscillate.
How Earth’s Climate Changes Naturally (and Why Things Are Different Now) | Howard Lee | July 21, 2020 | Quanta MagazineHer blood pressure began to oscillate — too low, too high — leaving her lightheaded and nauseous.
Why COVID-19 is both startlingly unique and painfully familiar | Aimee Cunningham | July 2, 2020 | Science NewsIn the end, bubbles in the standing wave oscillate more than do those in a normal wave.
New ultrasound treatment kills off cancer cells | Alison Pearce Stevens | April 10, 2020 | Science News For StudentsThe water oscillates, moving back and forth, creating crests and troughs.
Explainer: Understanding waves and wavelengths | Jennifer Look | March 5, 2020 | Science News For Students
Americans oscillate in their opinions of women involved in affairs, seeing them either as villains or victims.
In this position he stood for some moments, apparently watching the tail, which still continued to oscillate rapidly.
The Desert Home | Mayne ReidHe operated on the tiny radio with his pocket-knife to establish a circuit which should oscillate when the battery was turned on.
Operation Terror | William Fitzgerald JenkinsIn other words, it is necessary to be able to adjust the rate at which the currents will oscillate between the antenna and earth.
The Romance of War Inventions | Thomas W. CorbinIt does not oscillate (or pump), though extremely sensitive.
A Treatise on Meteorological Instruments | Henry NegrettiThese, according to Mr. Darwin, oscillate till they touch an object, and then embrace it.
On the Genesis of Species | St. George Mivart
British Dictionary definitions for oscillate
/ (ˈɒsɪˌleɪt) /
(intr) to move or swing from side to side regularly
(intr) to waver between opinions, courses of action, etc
physics to undergo or produce or cause to undergo or produce oscillation
Origin of oscillate
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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