resonate

American  

[rez-uh-nayt] / 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

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Etymology

Origin of resonate

First recorded in 1870–75; from Latin resonātus “sounded again,” past participle of resonāre “to sound again”; see resound

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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

As a veteran of the war in Iraq, I’ve been struck by how “The Sun Also Rises” continues to resonate among the reading ranks of my cohort.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

And that’s what will resonate with you if you are an OG.

From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026

Whatever roles he does, Cumming hopes it will resonate with people.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

But this year may also illuminate broader forces that continue to resonate long after votes are counted.

From Slate ● Oct. 2, 2026

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

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez

Which is why it resonates with our confusing times; it’s a pocket symphony in the key of now.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

She’s up against seasoned actors and singers who know what they’re doing, whose every step, gesture and note resonates effortlessly.

From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026

When the motion matches the glass's natural frequency, the glass resonates and produces a sound.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026

“There’s a lot that really resonates in the current media landscape and culture 50 years down the road, that people can still really connect with,” Hamm said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

In a constant rhythm so loud it resonates in my skull.

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman

“The more I thought about him as a ‘confidence man’ in all of the meanings of that term, what Justine said really resonated with me,” Gibney says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

"I was quite an angry young man, I suppose, but for some reason it resonated with people."

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

So when The Cut writer Kathleen Walsh published an essay recently about feeling like she should be able to cold call her friends, it resonated with me deeply.

From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2026

“These enhancements resulted in sharper pricing that resonated well with our customers and supported our sales,” he adds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

Far off, the quiet percussion of an approaching plane resonated over the field.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

How are they communicating their work, their vision and is it resonating with me?

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

"I'm so proud that people are resonating with the story, with the performances, the character," he said.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

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

Target’s second-quarter results are further proof that its strategy is resonating with customers, Fiddelke said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 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

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Related Words

• echo
• reverberate
• vibrate

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