fluctuate
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to change continually; shift back and forth; vary irregularly.
The price of gold fluctuated wildly last month.
-
to move back and forth in waves.
- Synonyms:
- oscillate
verb (used with object)
verb
-
to change or cause to change position constantly; be or make unstable; waver or vary
-
(intr) to rise and fall like a wave; undulate
Usage
What does fluctuate mean? Fluctuate means to continually change or shift back and forth. The verb is most commonly used in the context of abstract or intangible things that frequently change, such as temperature, the stock market, or someone’s mood. This kind of continual change is called fluctuation. Example: The volume on my TV keeps fluctuating—it gets louder during commercials and then it gets quiet again when the show comes back on.
Synonym Usage
See waver 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
fluctuatesimple
-
fluctuatessimple
-
have fluctuatedperfect
-
has fluctuatedperfect
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am fluctuatingprogressive
-
are fluctuatingprogressive
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is fluctuatingprogressive
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have been fluctuatingperfect progressive
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has been fluctuatingperfect progressive
Past
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fluctuatedsimple
-
had fluctuatedperfect
-
was fluctuatingprogressive
-
were fluctuatingprogressive
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had been fluctuatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of fluctuate
First recorded in 1625–35; from Latin fluctuātus “undulated,” past participle of fluctuāre “to flow,” equivalent to fluctu(s) “a flowing” (derivative of fluere “to flow”) + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
Something that fluctuates varies or changes — it's the opposite of steady. Like the ups and downs of the stock market or the relationship status of a Hollywood starlet. Fluctuate is a verb that describes movement, sometimes irregular, but often rising and falling in a wave-like pattern. The tides fluctuate according to the weather and season, for example. Your emotions fluctuate depending on what happens throughout the day, and so does your weight. In fact, you usually weigh less in the morning, before you've eaten. You're also taller, since your spine compresses as you walk around. So your height fluctuates, too.
Vocabulary lists containing fluctuate
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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Darius the Great Is Not Okay
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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.
See Examples For:
But experts cautioned against reading too much into year-over-year numbers that can fluctuate based on many factors — including how authorities classify and count certain offenses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026
Powell added that he wouldn’t be surprised to see the stock fluctuate in the days and weeks to come.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
While lender behavior can fluctuate with the economy, borrowers should time their request for when they need it most.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 2026
Temperatures may fluctuate from day to day though, depending on changes in wind direction and cloud cover, but will generally be close to or above average for the time of the year.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026
They kept their heads steady and mouths aimed at the microphone so that the volume of their voices didn’t fluctuate.
From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow
It’s one of the largest concentrations of capybaras in São Paulo, though its exact number of members fluctuates.
From Slate ● May 27, 2026
I work for myself and my salary fluctuates between $80,000 and $170,000 a year.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 20, 2026
Joseph said that their annual spending fluctuates based on the work that needs to be done.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 2026
The art conservator's income also fluctuates depending on the assignments she receives from institutions and individuals.
From Barron's ● Feb. 11, 2026
The quota system has worked for over two hundred years, and although it fluctuates region to region, it makes it crystal clear what each scythe’s responsibility to the world is.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
Until this past Supreme Court term, emergency applications fluctuated year to year but showed no clear upward trend.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026
In all of Major League Baseball, home run totals have fluctuated but gradually increased over the years, with this year’s pace running slightly ahead of last year’s.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
Despite trillions of dollars spent, the poverty rate has fluctuated between 11% and 15% since the mid-1960s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
Shares of Palantir fluctuated after the announcement and were recently down 1.4% in after-market trading.
From MarketWatch ● May 4, 2026
I fluctuated between anticipation so intense that it was very nearly pain, and an insidious fear that picked at my resolve.
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
Whether you buy a house or not, you should absolutely time your own withdrawals with your fluctuating income.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
After a fluctuating start in the international game, it was in 2016 when then-coach Mark Robinson promoted her to open and she never looked back.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Markets usually frame questions in a yes-or-no fashion, with the price of a “contract” fluctuating between $0 and $1.
From Slate ● Jun. 30, 2026
The office also mentioned that it’s tough to predict the exact amount the state would collect because of factors that can affect a billionaire’s wealth such as fluctuating stock prices.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
In connection with the nearly universal use of insecticides that are liver poisons, it is interesting to note the sharp rise in hepatitis that began during the 1950’s and is continuing a fluctuating climb.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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.
