amplitude

American  

[am-pli-tood, -tyood] / ˈæm plɪˌtud, -ˌtyud /

noun

1. the state or quality of being ample, especially as to breadth or width; largeness; greatness of extent.

2. large or full measure; abundance; copiousness.

3. mental range, scope, or capacity.

4. Physics. the absolute value of the maximum displacement from a zero value during one period of an oscillation.

5. Electricity. the maximum deviation of an alternating current from its average value.

6. Astronomy. the arc of the horizon measured from the east or west point to the point where a vertical circle through a heavenly body would intersect the horizon.

7. Mathematics. argument.

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amplitude British  

/ ˈæmplɪˌtjuːd /

noun

1. greatness of extent; magnitude

2. abundance or copiousness

3. breadth or scope, as of the mind

4. astronomy the angular distance along the horizon measured from true east or west to the point of intersection of the vertical circle passing through a celestial body

5. Also called: argument.  maths (of a complex number) the angle that the vector representing the complex number makes with the positive real axis. If the point ( x, y ) has polar coordinates ( r, θ ), the amplitude of x + i y is θ , that is, arctan y/x Compare modulus See also Argand diagram

6. physics the maximum variation from the zero or mean value of a periodically varying quantity

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amplitude Scientific  

/ ăm′plĭ-to̅o̅d′ /

1. Physics One half the full extent of a vibration, oscillation, or wave. The amplitude of an ocean wave is the maximum height of the wave crest above the level of calm water, or the maximum depth of the wave trough below the level of calm water. The amplitude of a pendulum swinging through an angle of 90° is 45°.

2. Physics Compare frequency

3. Electronics The amount by which a voltage or current changes from zero or an average value.

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amplitude Cultural  

1. In physics, the height of a crest (or the depth of a trough) of a wave.

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Etymology

Origin of amplitude

From the Latin word amplitūdō, dating back to 1540–50. See ample, -i-, -tude

Explanation

Amplitude describes something there is a lot of, or abundance. If people compliment the amplitude of emotion in your poetry, it means you put much emotion into what you write. The noun amplitude describes the depth, breadth, or magnitude of something — in other words, how big or full it is. It comes from the Latin amplus, "large, spacious." You can admire the amplitude of your favorite teacher's intelligence or try to guess the amplitude of a snow storm. In physics, amplitude is a change in oscillation or vibration, and in math it's the angle made with the positive horizontal axis by the vector representation of a complex number.

Example Sentences

By analyzing these images, the model learns to identify patterns linked to amplitude, phase and polarization.

From Science Daily • Mar. 29, 2026

Olympic halfpipes are 6.7m high, with Atkin achieving an amplitude of more than 5m during her final.

From BBC • Feb. 22, 2026

She won hearts with her big amplitude off the halfpipe and funny pre-run tweets.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026

They are judged on the amplitude - the height they reach - as well as the difficulty of the tricks and how well they have executed them.

From BBC • Feb. 5, 2026

By the winter of that year, the sine curve of Rajesh’s psyche had tightened in its frequency and gained in its amplitude.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee