sine wave

American

noun

Physics.

a periodic oscillation, as simple harmonic motion, having the same geometric representation as a sine function.

sine wave British

noun

any oscillation, such as a sound wave or alternating current, whose waveform is that of a sine curve

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of sine wave

First recorded in 1890–95

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:

sine wave

Fosse suggests, through the Emcee, that though the West’s relationship to queerness may bear the pattern of a sine wave, the Grande Human Cabaret can never metaphorically or spiritually close.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2025

“I said, ’Cause, man, No. 1: we sculpt an electronic signal into a sine wave that’s smooth, or a sawtooth, which is rough.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2024

One model put forth in 1990 assumed riders rock backward and forward at a constant frequency in simple sinusoidal motion—meaning the movement makes the shape of a sine wave in time.

From Science Magazine ● Apr. 6, 2023

Periodic functions are repeating patterns like the undulations of a sine wave in trigonometry.

From New York Times ● Mar. 20, 2018

What if I put a sine wave here or a fraction there?

From "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023