vibration

[ vahy-brey-shuhn ]
See synonyms for: vibrationvibrations on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. the act of vibrating, or an instance of vibratory motion; oscillation; quiver; tremor.

  2. the state of being vibrated.

  1. 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.

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

  3. Often vibrations .Informal. vibe (defs. 1, 2).

Origin of vibration

1
First recorded in 1645–55, and in 1965–70 for def. 5; from Latin vibrātiōn- (stem of vibrātiō ); see vibrate, -ion

Other words from vibration

  • vi·bra·tion·al, adjective
  • vi·bra·tion·less, adjective
  • non·vi·bra·tion, noun
  • re·vi·bra·tion, noun
  • un·vi·bra·tion·al, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use vibration in a sentence

  • Matter is energy, remember, and you can create vibrational momentum by ridding yourself of aptly named stuff.

    The Stars Predict Your Week | Starsky + Cox | October 9, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • From below came a vibrational rushing noise, nearly subsonic, which told him of the fueling operation.

    Tight Squeeze | Dean Charles Ing
  • All the rest beneath man are vibrational imitations or images of that expression.

  • It picks up the ether and sends it through a set degree of vibrational activity.

    The Blind Spot | Austin Hall
  • It is a curious property of this vibrational system of invisibility that the index of refraction is made very low.

    The Black Star Passes | John W Campbell
  • The vibrational mode of stimulation to be presently described labours under no such disadvantage.

British Dictionary definitions for vibration

vibration

/ (vaɪˈbreɪʃən) /


noun
  1. the act or an instance of vibrating

  2. 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

  1. the process or state of vibrating or being vibrated

Derived forms of vibration

  • vibrational, adjective
  • vibrationless, 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

Scientific definitions for vibration

vibration

[ vī-brāshən ]


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

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.