oscillate
verb (used without object)
to swing or move to and fro, as a pendulum does.
oscillating
-
present participleof oscillate.present participle
A verb form that is used in progressive verb constructions and may also function as a modifier or a gerund.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The debate about AI and jobs has become exhausting and largely unproductive, oscillating between “AI will take all jobs” and “AI will create more jobs than it destroys.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
"Financial markets are oscillating in a narrow, uneasy range as traders sized up the countdown to Donald Trump's Iran deadline," wrote Stephen Innes at SPI Asset Management.
From Barron's ● Apr. 7, 2026
The microscope allowed them to observe a frictionless flow of electrons behaving like a "superfluid," moving together and oscillating at terahertz frequencies within the material.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 17, 2026
Inconsequential wins and losses spread out for hours on end, my money gently oscillating with the tide.
From Slate ● Nov. 18, 2025
The oscillating fan on the wall made the papers on the employee bulletin board flutter.
From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia
