modulate

American  

[moj-uh-layt] / ˈmɒdʒ əˌleɪt /

verb (used with object)

• modulates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• modulated,
  past participle,  past
• modulating
  present participle

1. to regulate by or adjust to a certain measure or proportion; soften; tone down.

2. to alter or adapt (the voice) according to the circumstances, one's listener, etc.

   Synonyms:

   control, temper

3. Music.

   1. to attune to a certain pitch or key.

   2. to vary the volume of (tone).

4. 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.

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verb (used without object)

• modulates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• modulated,
  past participle,  past
• modulating
  present participle

1. Telecommunications.

   1. to modulate a carrier wave.

   2. Citizens Band Radio Slang. to talk; visit.

      Enjoyed modulating with you.

2. Music. to pass from one key to another.

   to modulate abruptly from A to B flat.

modulate British  

/ ˈmɒdjʊˌleɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to change the tone, pitch, or volume of

2. (tr) to adjust or regulate the degree of

3. music

   1. to subject to or undergo modulation in music

   2. (often foll by to) to make or become in tune (with a pitch, key, etc)

4. (tr) physics electronics to cause to vary by a process of modulation

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modulate Scientific  

/ mŏj′ə-lāt′ /

1. To vary the amplitude, frequency, or some other characteristic of a signal or power source.

2. See also amplitude modulation frequency modulation

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• modulability
  noun
• modulator
  noun
• remodulate
  verb (used with object)
• modulative
  adjective
• modulatory
  adjective
• unmodulated
  adjective
• unmodulative
  adjective
• well-modulated
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• modulating
  present
• modulated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• modulate
  simple
• modulates
  simple
• have modulated
  perfect
• has modulated
  perfect
• am modulating
  progressive
• are modulating
  progressive
• is modulating
  progressive
• have been modulating
  perfect progressive
• has been modulating
  perfect progressive

Past

• modulated
  simple
• had modulated
  perfect
• was modulating
  progressive
• were modulating
  progressive
• had been modulating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will modulate
  simple
• will have modulated
  perfect
• will be modulating
  progressive
• will have been modulating
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

modulate modulates modulated modulating

Zips were used to modulate the length of skirts, they ran across leather jackets and down a flared blue pair of trousers.

From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026

"Our drug has both cytotoxic activity, it can kill the tumor cells, but it also has immunomodulatory capacity where it can modulate the immune system to now manage the tumor," said Cunniff.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026

Other advantages include no launching device, the ability to modulate the beam's intensity, and unlimited "ammunition."

From Barron's ● Mar. 16, 2026

Olsen: How have you come to learn that distinction and how to modulate your performance, like knowing what you can do for a camera versus what you’re doing for the audience?

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 4, 2025

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

"This opens up a new window into how the brain monitors and modulates body physiology," said Dr. Zuker, a professor of biochemistry, molecular biophysics and neuroscience at Columbia's Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.

From Science Daily ● May 1, 2024

She looked up the meaning, “and I was like” — here the rapper notorious for her purring timbre modulates her voice to a humble higher pitch — “thank you.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2023

The body generates its own heat and modulates to suit climate and season.

From Philosophy of Osteopathy by A. T. (Andrew Taylor) Still

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

Her voice was rich, modulated, each word pronounced as if she were inventing it.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago

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

"This next phase focuses not on promises, but on carefully determining whether modulating this pathway is safe, feasible, and ultimately meaningful for human disease."

From Science Daily ● May 26, 2026

I support having some way of modulating that asymmetry, such as through rent stabilization.

From Barron's ● Apr. 7, 2026

“It is for sure playing some role in modulating H5N1 disease in humans,” he said, but was unlikely the only factor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 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

Related Words

• inflect