oscillate
verb (used without object)
to swing or move to and fro, as a pendulum does.
oscillated
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past participleof oscillate.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof oscillate.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
oscillateverb (used without object)to swing or move to and fro, as a pendulum does.
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.
Its overall light field oscillated in the same direction, even though it contained photons of different colors traveling along many different paths.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 8, 2026
I’ve oscillated wildly between thinking the U.S. will ride a host-nation bump to the semis and worrying they’ll be humiliated by Paraguay and soccer in this country will be canceled forever.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
Even though the stock-bond correlation has oscillated widely over the years, this ratio has remained remarkably constant — as you can see from the chart above.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 30, 2026
The sudden dip in air quality levels since Saturday came after the capital had shown some improvement over the past week - when it oscillated between "poor" and "very poor".
From BBC ● Dec. 15, 2025
His rebellious spirit made him violate all the taboos and consequently he always oscillated between moods of intense elation and depression.
From "Native Son" by Richard Wright
