oscillation
[ os-uh-ley-shuhn ]
/ ˌɒs əˈleɪ ʃən /
Save This Word!
noun
an act or instance of oscillating.
a single swing or movement in one direction of an oscillating body.
fluctuation between beliefs, opinions, conditions, etc.
Physics.
- an effect expressible as a quantity that repeatedly and regularly fluctuates above and below some mean value, as the pressure of a sound wave or the voltage of an alternating current.
- a single fluctuation between maximum and minimum values in such an effect.
Mathematics.
- the difference between the least upper bound and the greatest lower bound of the functional values of a function in a given interval.
- Also called saltus. the limit of the oscillation in an interval containing a given point, as the length of the interval approaches zero.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON “THEIR,” “THERE,” AND “THEY’RE”
Are you aware how often people swap around “their,” “there,” and “they’re”? Prove you have more than a fair grasp over these commonly confused words.
Question 1 of 7
Which one of these commonly confused words can act as an adverb or a pronoun?
Words nearby oscillation
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for oscillation
British Dictionary definitions for oscillation
oscillation
/ (ˌɒsɪˈleɪʃən) /
noun
physics statistics
- regular fluctuation in value, position, or state about a mean value, such as the variation in an alternating current or the regular swinging of a pendulum
- a single cycle of such a fluctuation
the act or process of oscillating
Derived forms of oscillation
oscillatory (ˈɒsɪlətərɪ, -trɪ), adjectiveCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Medical definitions for oscillation
oscillation
[ ŏs′ə-lā′shən ]
n.
The act of oscillating.
The state of being oscillated.
A single oscillatory cycle.
A stage in inflammation in which the accumulation of white blood cells in the small vessels arrests the passage of blood, thus causing a to-and-fro movement of the blood at each cardiac contraction.
Other words from oscillation
os′cil•la′tion•al adj.The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Scientific definitions for oscillation
oscillation
[ ŏs′ə-lā′shən ]
A repeating fluctuation in a physical object or quantity. See also attractor harmonic motion.
A single cycle of such fluctuation.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.