resonate
Americanverb (used without object)
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resonates,
present (3rd person singular)
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resonated,
past participle, past
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resonating
present participle
-
to resound.
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Electronics. to reinforce oscillations because the natural frequency of the device is the same as the frequency of the source.
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to amplify vocal sound by the sympathetic vibration of air in certain cavities and bony structures.
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to produce a positive feeling, emotional response, or opinion.
an issue that clearly resonates with members of our community; a poem that resonates for me.
verb (used with object)
-
resonates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
resonated,
past participle, past
-
resonating
present participle
verb
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to resound or cause to resound; reverberate
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(of a mechanical system, electrical circuit, chemical compound, etc) to exhibit or cause to exhibit resonance
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to be understood or receive a sympathetic response
themes which will resonate with voters
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to be filled with
simple words that seem to resonate with mystery and beauty
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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resonatesimple
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resonatessimple
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have resonatedperfect
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has resonatedperfect
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am resonatingprogressive
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are resonatingprogressive
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is resonatingprogressive
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have been resonatingperfect progressive
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has been resonatingperfect progressive
Past
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resonatedsimple
-
had resonatedperfect
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was resonatingprogressive
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were resonatingprogressive
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had been resonatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of resonate
First recorded in 1870–75; from Latin resonātus “sounded again,” past participle of resonāre “to sound again”; see resound
Explanation
To resonate is to make, hear, or even understand a deep, full sound. Your speech about the dangers of scarves and convertibles will resonate with your audience if you tell the story of Isadora Duncan's death. The verb resonate, which comes from the Latin resonatum, first referred only to sound, but has now developed an emotional connotation. Resonate sounds a whole lot like another verb, resound, but they have subtly different meanings. Resound means “to repeat the sound,” but resonate means “to expand, amplify.” Sound can resonate when broadcast through speakers, and so can an idea or feeling, when expressed articulately or with passion.
Vocabulary lists containing resonate
A Long Way Gone
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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
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This Week in Words: September 17 - 24, 2017
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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:
"The film and audiovisual industry must be rooted in human creativity and must resonate with human emotions," he said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026
The region between Earth's surface and the ionosphere can naturally resonate with electromagnetic waves, much like a large cavity.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026
Innanen: I don’t think I realized how much Paul Baker’s fluidity was going to resonate with people.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
The sector-wide challenges had a greater impact on Foot Locker because the brand is reliant on selling legacy and newly launched footwear, which didn’t resonate with customers during the quarter, Stack said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
As it increases its pace, the sea itself seems to resonate with its movement, beginning to revolve in a slow eddy, but quickly picking up speed.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
His focus on these issues, he says, resonates more with Michigan’s black voters and blue-collar voters than does Mr. El-Sayed’s “socialism and divisiveness.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
The 29-year-old also says he resonates with his character's struggle to be content with life.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
It resonates in part because pregnant women are routinely handed absolutes with little explanation and expected to comply, so permission to have a little leeway is a welcome relief.
From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2026
What the novelist is getting at here resonates far beyond a single celebrity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
Now everything resonates, sticks like a splinter, festers.
From "We Are Okay" by Nina LaCour
“The idea that you are going to use open models…for your own proprietary intelligence, and optimize it for your particular content has resonated with a lot of folks. I believe there’s an inflection point here.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
But her open-hearted grace and ability to take such slights in stride resonated with everyday folks otherwise overlooked by upper-crust tastemakers.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
For Cash App, the move into Tags was an opportunity to double down on the customizability that already resonated with cardholders.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026
She said the case resonated because people felt like they were "reliving the grief with the family".
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
This idea resonated with both me and Barack, and inside that one dinner I felt as if something had been cemented: Valerie Jarrett was now a part of our lives.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Investors see Oracle’s fate as heavily tied to OpenAI’s, so it’s good news that the latest ChatGPT model seems to be resonating with users and technology experts.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
“And those prices are resonating with customers and we’re seeing it in traffic, ticket and unit volume all growing.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
“But hey, whatever’s resonating, whatever brings a little bit of joy. Whatever brings a little bit of that stick it to ’em,” she said, doing the thing.
From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2026
On Tuesday night, Shaw sounded hopeful and confident that her campaign themes were resonating beyond her conservative roots.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026
I couldn’t believe those words had come out of my mouth, but as soon as they were spoken I felt the truth of them, resonating in me loud as a bell.
From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs
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.
