resonate

American  

[rez-uh-neyt] / ˈrɛz əˌneɪt /

verb (used without object)

• resonates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• resonated,
  past participle,  past
• resonating
  present participle

1. to resound.

2. to act as a resonator; exhibit resonance.

3. Electronics. to reinforce oscillations because the natural frequency of the device is the same as the frequency of the source.

4. to amplify vocal sound by the sympathetic vibration of air in certain cavities and bony structures.

5. 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.

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verb (used with object)

• resonates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• resonated,
  past participle,  past
• resonating
  present participle

1. to cause to resound.

resonate British  

/ ˈrɛzəˌneɪt /

verb

1. to resound or cause to resound; reverberate

2. (of a mechanical system, electrical circuit, chemical compound, etc) to exhibit or cause to exhibit resonance

3. to be understood or receive a sympathetic response

   themes which will resonate with voters

4. to be filled with

   simple words that seem to resonate with mystery and beauty

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• resonation
  noun
• unresonating
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• resonating
  present
• resonated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• resonate
  simple
• resonates
  simple
• have resonated
  perfect
• has resonated
  perfect
• am resonating
  progressive
• are resonating
  progressive
• is resonating
  progressive
• have been resonating
  perfect progressive
• has been resonating
  perfect progressive

Past

• resonated
  simple
• had resonated
  perfect
• was resonating
  progressive
• were resonating
  progressive
• had been resonating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will resonate
  simple
• will have resonated
  perfect
• will be resonating
  progressive
• will have been resonating
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

resonate resonates resonated resonating

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

Winning them over means reaching them on platforms such as Instagram, where personal and unfiltered content can resonate more than traditional political messaging.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

But almost 20 years later, his ideas and legacy resonate strongly.

From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026

Felicia Pride, creator and showrunner of “A Different World,” said her sequel series to the original NBC show about Black students navigating their way through a fictional college should resonate with young people worldwide.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

If my story is true, I trust it will resonate with significance for other lives.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez

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

"It's a devastating and sad feeling that resonates with everyone who was here," said Nahed al-Hassayna, as he showed the BBC the rubble of his family's living room.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Professional creators with huge followings can no longer guarantee their audience will see the ads they post, while the work of creators with tiny followings can go viral if their content resonates enough, said Archer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

There’s an initial sense of impact followed by an explosion that resonates in my innermost parts, the lining of my intestines, the marrow of my bones, the roots of my teeth.

From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins

“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

"What really resonated with me and blew my mind was the fact that it was so family-centred. These small towns put on events that are for the community first and foremost."

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 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

Meltwater sluiced furiously down innumerable surface and subterranean channels, creating a ghostly harmonic rumble that resonated through the body of the glacier.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

“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

The company is revamping its stores and improving its selection, and those moves are resonating with shoppers.

From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026

It’s “early days,” she says, but the new models are “certainly resonating very, very well with our customers. They appreciate the transparency.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

But this is something that is resonating nationally because Pratt has that celebrity factor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026

The golden monkey leapt for Father MacPhail, but not to attack: he scrambled up and over the man’s shoulders to reach the complex heart of the wires and the pipe work, the resonating chamber.

From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman

Related Words

• echo
• reverberate
• vibrate