oscillate
verb (used without object)
to swing or move to and fro, as a pendulum does.
was oscillating
-
past progressiveof oscillate.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
On Thursday French President Emmanuel Macron said Britain was oscillating “between partnership and provocation” and called for more collaboration.
From Reuters ● Nov. 20, 2021
Controllers also observed that the aircraft, a new Boeing 737 Max 8, was oscillating up and down by hundreds of feet — a sign that something was extraordinarily wrong.
From New York Times ● Mar. 14, 2019
At other times, on reflection, I find my attention was oscillating between the detail and the person, or focusing on both relating one to the other.
From Humanistic Nursing by Josephine G. Paterson
At its summit rose up a second cone, turned upside down and spindled on its point; its enormous mass threatened to crush the ship, as it was oscillating and ready to fall.
From The English at the North Pole Part I of the Adventures of Captain Hatteras by Jules Verne
Joshua's wife, whom everybody called Aunt Lyddy, was oscillating in a rocking-chair in the kitchen, and knitting.
From Stories by American Authors, Volume 6 by Various
