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modulate

[ moj-uh-leyt ]
/ ˈmɒdʒ əˌleɪt /
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See synonyms for: modulate / modulated on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object), mod·u·lat·ed, mod·u·lat·ing.
to regulate by or adjust to a certain measure or proportion; soften; tone down.
to alter or adapt (the voice) according to the circumstances, one's listener, etc.
Music.
  1. to attune to a certain pitch or key.
  2. to vary the volume of (tone).
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), mod·u·lat·ed, mod·u·lat·ing.
Telecommunications.
  1. to modulate a carrier wave.
  2. Citizens Band Radio Slang. to talk; visit: Enjoyed modulating with you.
Music. to pass from one key to another: to modulate abruptly from A to B flat.
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Origin of modulate

1550–60; <Latin modulātus (past participle of modulārī to regulate (sounds), set to music, play an instrument). See module, -ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM modulate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

Words related to modulate

inflect, attune, balance, fine-tune, regulate, restrain, revamp, switch, temper, tone, transmogrify, tune, tweak, vary

How to use modulate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for modulate

modulate
/ (ˈmɒdjʊˌleɪt) /
verb
(tr) to change the tone, pitch, or volume of
(tr) to adjust or regulate the degree of
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)
(tr) physics electronics to cause to vary by a process of modulation

Derived forms of modulate

modulability (ˌmɒdjʊləˈbɪlɪtɪ), nounmodulative or modulatory, adjectivemodulator, noun

Word Origin for modulate

C16: from Latin modulātus in due measure, melodious, from modulārī to regulate, from modus measure
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for modulate

modulate
[ mŏj′ə-lāt′ ]
To vary the amplitude, frequency, or some other characteristic of a signal or power source. See also amplitude modulation frequency modulation.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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