undulate
Americanverb (used without object)
-
undulates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
undulated,
past participle, past
-
undulating
present participle
-
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)
-
undulates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
undulated,
past participle, past
-
undulating
present participle
-
to cause to move in waves.
-
to give a wavy form to.
adjective
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
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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undulatesimple
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undulatessimple
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have undulatedperfect
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has undulatedperfect
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am undulatingprogressive
-
are undulatingprogressive
-
is undulatingprogressive
-
have been undulatingperfect progressive
-
has been undulatingperfect progressive
Past
-
undulatedsimple
-
had undulatedperfect
-
was undulatingprogressive
-
were undulatingprogressive
-
had been undulatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of undulate
First recorded in 1650–60; from Latin undulātus waved, equivalent to und(a) “wave” + -ul(a) -ule + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
Undulate means to move in a wave-like pattern. If a sound increases and decreases in pitch or volume like waves, you can say the sound is undulating. When searching for the lost boy, the rescuers' cries undulated through the forest. The verb undulate comes from the Latin word undula, which means "wavelet" (unda means "wave"). So any action shown with the verb undulate has that waving sense to it. If something moves in a wavy, pattern, for example, it is said to undulate. The wind might cause prairie grass to undulate, or music might cause hips to undulate.
Vocabulary lists containing undulate
To Kill a Mockingbird
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List 4
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The Pearl
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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:
Videos captured by the crew confirm it is a mesmerizing creature with long pale “legs” trailing from thicker appendages connected to a pale body composed of two fins that undulate languidly in tandem.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
The heavy concrete roof is actually suspended just above the walls, and seems to undulate, letting more light through in a thin opening above the altar.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026
Like I said before, most worms on planet Earth—well, those visible to the naked eye— have a lot of chambers and undulate, which isn’t very sandworm-ish.
From Slate ● Mar. 8, 2024
A helical structure on the underside of the sheet rotates like a corkscrew to cause the carpet to undulate and create a travelling wave on the water.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 4, 2023
There is only white smoke visible inside the box, and it continues to ripple and undulate against the glass.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Our measly four seasons are insufficient in describing the way nature undulates around us, week to week and month to month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 12, 2025
Much like the style itself, the popularity of ruffles undulates through the decades.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 4, 2022
She’s nimble with it; she undulates her voice around it and lets it take interesting shapes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 31, 2022
As she picks up the pace, walking with purpose and changing direction, her back undulates and her angled arms carve through the air to an imaginary beat.
From New York Times ● Sep. 8, 2021
They are so thin that a heavily laden sledge undulates with the irregularities of the snow.
From True Tales of Arctic Heroism in the New World by Adolphus W. Greely
Begun in the 15th century, the 25,000-mile network undulated over the Andes and west coast of South America, replete with stone paths, rope bridges, staircases, fortresses, inns and warehouses to serve relays of royal runners.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2025
World No. 3 Minjee Lee said that taking her time will be a key on the blue course’s sloped fairways and undulated greens this week.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 22, 2022
As it has done since antiquity, the fragrant smoke undulated skyward, a thin thread seeking to unite us on earth with something above.
From Salon ● Apr. 30, 2022
As it undulated through an ancient sea with its flaps and spiky tail fan, Utaurora likely wielded its proboscis to shovel food into its mouth.
From New York Times ● Feb. 8, 2022
The otters linked arms to form a raft of furry bodies that undulated with the gently rolling waves.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
The curvilinear bop of a good and expertly undulating narrative lede.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
Surrounded by undulating circles, spots and stripes, red-roofed Lebanese abodes and white-masted schooners traverse an unsettled horizon line.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
It appeared on a peach-colored background in undulating cream script: Eat what you want, add what you need.
From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026
Wispy fescue and undulating and fast greens add further layers of complexity to Shinnecock's fearsome reputation.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
An undulating wind rocked her southward over a brushy meadow.
From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
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.
