modulate
Americanverb (used with object)
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modulates,
present (3rd person singular)
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modulated,
past participle, past
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modulating
present participle
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to regulate by or adjust to a certain measure or proportion; soften; tone down.
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to alter or adapt (the voice) according to the circumstances, one's listener, etc.
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Music.
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to attune to a certain pitch or key.
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to vary the volume of (tone).
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Telecommunications. to cause the amplitude, frequency, phase, or intensity of (a carrier wave) to vary in accordance with a sound wave or other signal, the frequency of the signal wave usually being very much lower than that of the carrier.
verb (used without object)
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modulates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
modulated,
past participle, past
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modulating
present participle
-
Telecommunications.
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to modulate a carrier wave.
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Citizens Band Radio Slang. to talk; visit.
Enjoyed modulating with you.
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Music. to pass from one key to another.
to modulate abruptly from A to B flat.
verb
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(tr) to change the tone, pitch, or volume of
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(tr) to adjust or regulate the degree of
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music
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to subject to or undergo modulation in music
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(often foll by to) to make or become in tune (with a pitch, key, etc)
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(tr) physics electronics to cause to vary by a process of modulation
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To vary the amplitude, frequency, or some other characteristic of a signal or power source.
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See also amplitude modulation frequency modulation
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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modulabilitynoun
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modulatornoun
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remodulateverb (used with object)
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modulativeadjective
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modulatoryadjective
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unmodulatedadjective
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unmodulativeadjective
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well-modulatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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modulatesimple
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modulatessimple
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have modulatedperfect
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has modulatedperfect
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am modulatingprogressive
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are modulatingprogressive
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is modulatingprogressive
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have been modulatingperfect progressive
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has been modulatingperfect progressive
Past
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modulatedsimple
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had modulatedperfect
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was modulatingprogressive
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were modulatingprogressive
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had been modulatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of modulate
1550–60; < Latin modulātus (past participle of modulārī to regulate (sounds), set to music, play an instrument). See module, -ate 1
Explanation
Is your friend's voice so high-pitched that people are starting to stare? Sweetly ask, "Can you modulate your voice, please? To modulate is to change the pitch of something. You can modulate things other than sound — it still refers to something that's being adjusted. Schools might modulate the number of students in the hallways at the same time by having each grade level start and end each at a different time. Traffic lights can modulate the number of cars that pass through an intersection in a certain interval. Computer modems modulate signals to allow computers to transfer information. In fact, modem gets its name from modulate/demodulate.
Vocabulary lists containing modulate
The Lightning Thief
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Heart of Darkness
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Out of My Mind
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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.
See Examples For:
Olsen: Over the course of the series, how did you modulate how crazy to seem?
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
“So they are able to modulate their demand.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
"Our research presents a clear case that specific brain pathways can be directly targeted to modulate sensory pain," said Ball.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 27, 2026
Other advantages include no launching device, the ability to modulate the beam's intensity, and unlimited "ammunition."
From Barron's ● Mar. 16, 2026
Given the capacity to control autonomic functions, modulate brain waves, run cells, why shouldn’t it be possible to employ exactly the same technology to go in precisely the opposite direction?
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
Incyte said the acquisition includes Vega’s lead candidate VGA039, which modulates Protein S to improve hemostasis, potentially improving the body’s ability to control bleeding in numerous bleeding disorders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
Oppenheimer modulates the lighting during the scenes from cool to warm and back again, underlining the vacillating feelings they can’t acknowledge outright.
From New York Times ● Dec. 5, 2024
That’s the focus of a new study, “Reining in regret: emotion regulation modulates regret in decision making,” co-authored by Temple University’s Crystal Reeck and Kevin LaBar, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2024
The CD300f receptor is a protein expressed by immune system cells that modulates cell metabolism and inflammation.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 28, 2023
He scarce needs words: so exquisite the skill Which modulates the tones to do his will, That the mere sound enough would charm the ear, And lap in its Elysium all who hear.
From At Home And Abroad Or, Things And Thoughts In America and Europe by Arthur B. Fuller
If, miraculously, the Strait of Hormuz reopens soon, that would be modulated.
From Barron's ● Apr. 7, 2026
With a combined 650 lb-ft of torque on tap, the Vistiq moves with serene authority through daily traffic, temperate and precisely modulated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 1, 2026
It was a carefully modulated message in an area in which she has a double-digit advantage over Trump.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2024
I’m sure we modulated on set and that editorial choices were made to shade it, but everyone knew the target.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2024
His voice was slightly modulated but easy to understand.
From "Paper Towns" by John Green
"Unlike gene re-expression strategies, SLC6A20 inhibition works by modulating endogenous signaling pathways and may offer a more practical therapeutic route," said Director Eunjoon Kim.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026
The rare combination of off-grain fermentation and column distillation offers yet another lever to pull when it comes to modulating flavor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
I support having some way of modulating that asymmetry, such as through rent stabilization.
From Barron's ● Apr. 7, 2026
In his eighty-fourth year, Ringo handles the vocals with impressive skill, modulating his drawl for maximum effect.
From Salon ● Jan. 10, 2025
He had been dancing about the stage, waving his spear, modulating his voice, and now suddenly he became still, and lowered his voice.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
