oscillate
Americanverb (used without object)
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to swing or move to and fro, as a pendulum does.
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to vary or vacillate between differing beliefs, opinions, conditions, etc..
He oscillates regularly between elation and despair.
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Physics. to have, produce, or generate oscillations.
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Mathematics. (of a function, sequence, etc.) to tend to no limit, including infinity.
The sequence 0, 1, 0, 1, … oscillates.
verb (used with object)
verb
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(intr) to move or swing from side to side regularly
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(intr) to waver between opinions, courses of action, etc
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physics to undergo or produce or cause to undergo or produce oscillation
Related Words
See swing 1.
Other Word Forms
- interoscillate verb
- unoscillating adjective
Etymology
Origin of oscillate
1720–30; < Latin oscillātus (past participle of oscillāre “to swing, ride on a swing”), equivalent to oscill(um) “a swing” + -ātus -ate 1
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 sudden dip in air quality levels since Saturday came after the capital had shown some improvement over the past week - when it oscillated between "poor" and "very poor".
From BBC
The report identifies “oscillating inflation” as a key shaper of 2026 trends, its different components contributing to this “bifurcation” in consumer fortunes where the wealthier and their spending are immune to its pressure.
From MarketWatch
Expectations about the Federal Reserve’s next policy meeting oscillated sharply this past week, with a quarter-point cut in the federal-funds target rate once again being the odds-on bet.
From Barron's
Expectations about the Federal Reserve’s next policy meeting oscillated sharply this past week, with a quarter-point cut in the federal-funds target rate once again being the odds-on bet.
From Barron's
The narrative oscillates between a journalistic view of the band’s history and something of an insider’s account.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
