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
On consideration, I closed my eyes whilst the ring was oscillating over gold, and on opening them I found that it had become stationary.
From Curious Myths of the Middle Ages by S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould
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
They did so, working silently and with difficulty; for the car was oscillating so greatly that they were obliged to hold on, by its side, not to be thrown out.
From The Young Franc Tireurs And Their Adventures in the Franco-Prussian War by F. T. Young
