oscillate
/ˈɒs.ɪ.leɪt/ IELTSAcademic
verb
To move repeatedly back and forth between two points or positions. It can describe a physical movement, like a swinging motion, or a change between two states or opinions.
- The fan blade oscillates quickly.
- Her opinions oscillated between hope and doubt.
- The needle oscillated around the center mark.
Adinary Nuance
Oscillate is more precise than move, swing, or shift when something keeps going back and forth. Use swing for a casual physical motion, and shift for a change in position or opinion. Oscillate sounds more technical and is common in science and academic writing.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- dao động
- Spanish
- oscilar
- Chinese
- 振荡
- Japanese
- 振動する
- Korean
- 진동하다
Etymology
From Latin oscillare, meaning "to swing," from oscillum, a small swing or hanging ornament. It entered English in the 17th century.
Common phrases
oscillate betweenoscillating motionoscillate rapidlyoscillate around
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is oscillate a formal word?
- Yes, it is fairly formal. It is common in science, engineering, and academic writing.
- What is the difference between oscillate and fluctuate?
- Oscillate means to move or change back and forth. Fluctuate usually means to rise and fall, often in amount or level.
- Can oscillate describe opinions?
- Yes. It can mean changing back and forth between two choices or views.
- How do I use oscillate in a sentence?
- Use it with between, around, or quickly. For example: "The value oscillated between 10 and 20."