fluctuate
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to change continually; shift back and forth; vary irregularly.
The price of gold fluctuated wildly last month.
-
to move back and forth in waves.
- Synonyms:
- oscillate
verb (used with object)
verb
-
to change or cause to change position constantly; be or make unstable; waver or vary
-
(intr) to rise and fall like a wave; undulate
Usage
What does fluctuate mean? Fluctuate means to continually change or shift back and forth.The verb is most commonly used in the context of abstract or intangible things that frequently change, such as temperature, the stock market, or someone’s mood.This kind of continual change is called fluctuation.Example: The volume on my TV keeps fluctuating—it gets louder during commercials and then it gets quiet again when the show comes back on.
Related Words
See waver 1.
Other Word Forms
- nonfluctuating adjective
- unfluctuating adjective
Etymology
Origin of fluctuate
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 -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.
This measure fluctuates, but a change at its rate in October 2025 - when the change was announced - would see tuition fees rise by approximately £400 a year, to more than £9,900.
From BBC
The takeaway is that while expectations about the fed-funds rate may fluctuate, Treasury yields will be kept in check.
From Barron's
They push and pull on the cell membrane, causing it to bend, ripple, and fluctuate.
From Science Daily
External measures akin to audits, like the SAT and APs, tend to be more reliable and accurate than grades and statewide tests, for which the standards and cut scores keep fluctuating.
The report says that because the asylum applications are subject to fluctuating demand with significant peaks, it was important to build a flexible and resilient system that can respond to increases and decreases in demand.
From BBC
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.
