undulate

[ verb uhn-juh-leyt, uhn-dyuh-, -duh-; adjective uhn-juh-lit, -leyt, uhn-dyuh-, -duh- ]
/ verb ˈʌn dʒəˌleɪt, ˈʌn dyə-, -də-; adjective ˈʌn dʒə lɪt, -ˌleɪt, ˈʌn dyə-, -də- /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR undulate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), un·du·lat·ed, un·du·lat·ing.

to move with a sinuous or wavelike motion; display a smooth rising-and-falling or side-to-side alternation of movement: The flag undulates in the breeze.
to have a wavy form or surface; bend with successive curves in alternate directions.
(of a sound) to rise and fall in pitch: the wail of a siren undulating in the distance.

verb (used with object), un·du·lat·ed, un·du·lat·ing.

to cause to move in waves.
to give a wavy form to.

adjective

Also un·du·lat·ed. having a wavelike or rippled form, surface, edge, etc.; wavy.

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Waves undulate, flags undulate ... and in this video both of those meanings work together to create the perfect image. Watch our favorite Word of the Day illustrator bring the word to life.

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Origin of undulate

1650–60; <Latin undulātus waved, equivalent to und(a) wave + -ul(a) -ule + -ātus-ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM undulate

un·du·la·tor, nounnon·un·du·late, adjectivenon·un·du·lat·ing, adjective

Words nearby undulate

Undset, und so weiter, undue, undulant, undulant fever, undulate, undulating membrane, undulating pulse, undulation, undulatory, undulatory theory
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Content related to undulate

What Do “Undulate” And Flag Day Have In Common?Waves undulate, flags undulate ... and in this video both of those meanings work together to create the perfect image. Watch our favorite Word of the Day illustrator bring the word to life.
READ MORE
What Do “Undulate” And Flag Day Have In Common?Waves undulate, flags undulate ... and in this video both of those meanings work together to create the perfect image. Watch our favorite Word of the Day illustrator bring the word to life.
READ MORE

Words related to undulate

wobble, billow, swell, flow, surge, swing, ripple, wave, heave, roll, oscillate

Example sentences from the Web for undulate

British Dictionary definitions for undulate

undulate
/ (ˈʌndjʊˌleɪt) /

verb

to move or cause to move in waves or as if in waves
to have or provide with a wavy form or appearance

adjective (ˈʌndjʊlɪt, -ˌleɪt) undulated

having a wavy or rippled appearance, margin, or forman undulate leaf

Derived forms of undulate

undulator, noun

Word Origin for undulate

C17: from Latin undulātus, from unda a wave
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