oscillator
Americannoun
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Electronics. a circuit that produces an alternating output current of a certain frequency determined by the characteristics of the circuit components.
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a device or machine producing oscillations.
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a person or thing that oscillates.
noun
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a circuit or instrument for producing an alternating current or voltage of a required frequency
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any instrument for producing oscillations
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a person or thing that oscillates
Etymology
Origin of oscillator
1825–35; < New Latin, equivalent to Latin oscillā ( re ) to swing ( see oscillate) + -tor -tor
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.
In a post on X late Monday, Ryan Detrick, chief market strategist at the Carson Group, highlighted recent moves in the McClellan Oscillator, a market-breadth indicator that traders use to measure momentum in stock indexes.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 17, 2026
Similar to another closely watched momentum gauge — the 14-day Relative Strength Index — the McClellan Oscillator can be a contrarian signal that the market is overstretched to the upside or downside.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 17, 2026
The McClellan Oscillator has turned higher and is now at -138.
From Forbes • Oct. 15, 2014
"It's called a Voice Oscillator," explained Dr. Shalt.
From The Second Voice by Rubin, Mann
It happened to a chap named Blenkinson, who took an Oscillator that hadn't any brake on it.
From Andiron Tales by Dwiggins, Clare Victor
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.
