vibration

[vahy-brey-shuh n]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR vibration ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of vibrating.

the state of being vibrated.

Physics.

the oscillating, reciprocating, or other periodic motion of a rigid or elastic body or medium forced from a position or state of equilibrium.
the analogous motion of the particles of a mass of air or the like, whose state of equilibrium has been disturbed, as in transmitting sound.

an instance of vibratory motion; oscillation; quiver; tremor.

a supernatural emanation, bearing good or ill, that is sensed by or revealed to those attuned to the occult.

Often vibrations. Informal. a general emotional feeling one has from another person or a place, situation, etc.: I usually get good vibrations from him.

Origin of vibration

1645–55; 1965–70 for def 6; < Latin vibrātiōn- (stem of vibrātiō). See vibrate, -ion

Related formsvi·bra·tion·al, adjectivevi·bra·tion·less, adjectivenon·vi·bra·tion, nounre·vi·bra·tion, nounun·vi·bra·tion·al, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for vibration

tremor, reverberation, oscillation, pulse, fluctuation, vacillation, beating, quiver, throb, wave, shimmy, wavering, quake, shake, resonance, pulsation, throbbing, trembling, judder

Examples from the Web for vibration

Contemporary Examples of vibration

But after the fifth consecutive call—the vibration interrupting my conversation with perplexed hosts—I politely stepped away.
On the Hunt for Treviño Morales, Zetas Leader
Alfredo Corchado
August 6, 2013
Vibration promotes life and vigour, strength and beauty...Vibrate Your Body and Make It Well.
'Hysteria' and the Long, Strange History of the Vibrator
Marlow Stern
April 27, 2012
Some final twitching, a jolt in his chest muscles, a vibration in his hands, and finally it was over.
John Grisham's First Short Story: Part Two
John Grisham
October 26, 2009

Historical Examples of vibration

The consequence was a vibration of the mica diaphragm to which the stylus was attached.
Heroes of the Telegraph
J. Munro
That utterance sounded like a vibration of the sunlight itself.
Abbe Mouret's Transgression
Emile Zola
But it is like a vibration of great speed and heat, like a fluid and magnetic heat.
The Golden Fountain
Lilian Staveley
The vibration and the deafening noise shook but did not frighten her.
The Eternal City
Hall Caine
And there was also a chance that Jeter's vibration idea was wrong.
Lords of the Stratosphere
Arthur J. Burks

British Dictionary definitions for vibration

vibration

noun

the act or an instance of vibrating

physics

a periodic motion about an equilibrium position, such as the regular displacement of air in the propagation of sound
a single cycle of such a motion

the process or state of vibrating or being vibrated

Derived Formsvibrational, adjectivevibrationless, adjective

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

Word Origin and History for vibration

1650s, from Latin vibrationem (nominative vibratio), from vibratus (see vibrate). Meaning "intuitive signal about a person or thing" was popular late 1960s, but has been recorded as far back as 1899.

vibration in Science

vibration

[vī-brā′shən]

A rapid oscillation of a particle, particles, or elastic solid or surface, back and forth across a central position.