oscillation

noun
os·​cil·​la·​tion | \ ˌä-sə-ˈlā-shən How to pronounce oscillation (audio) \

Definition of oscillation

1 : the action or state of oscillating stays can be effectively used to prevent oscillations in new bridges— D. B. Steinman
2 : variation, fluctuation famines due to excessive storminess and violent oscillations of rain and drought, heat and cold— Ellsworth Huntington
3 : a flow of electricity changing periodically from a maximum to a minimum especially : a flow periodically changing direction
4 : a single swing (as of an oscillating body) from one extreme limit to the other Each oscillation of the pendulum represents one second.

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Other Words from oscillation

oscillational \ ˌä-​sə-​ˈlā-​shnəl How to pronounce oscillational (audio) , -​shə-​nᵊl \ adjective

Synonyms for oscillation

Synonyms

change, fluctuation, flux, inconstancy

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Examples of oscillation in a Sentence

the continued oscillation of the fan There has been oscillation between optimism and pessimism among voters.

Recent Examples on the Web

And convection starts bringing the products of these oscillations higher up into the planet's envelope. John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Jupiter may have had a head-on collision with a massive protoplanet," 14 Aug. 2019 Flavor swapping, also called neutrino oscillations, explains those deficits. Adrian Cho, Science | AAAS, "Resurrected detector will hunt for some of the strangest particles in the universe," 8 Aug. 2019 These oscillations would also arise if instead the universe experienced a period of rapid inflation. Quanta Magazine, "A New Test for the Leading Big Bang Theory," 11 Sep. 2018 Leave aside for the moment whether these oscillations are the result of Chinese government policy or market forces. Wired, "Listen, Here’s Why the Value of China’s Yuan Really Matters," 7 Aug. 2019 Some studies have even linked disturbances in these oscillations to various neurological diseases, including schizophrenia and Alzheimer's. Diana Kwon, Scientific American, "“Metronome” Neurons Act Like Timekeepers in Mouse Brains," 18 July 2019 At long distances, the neutrinos have enough time to shift to a new identity, allowing us to study flavor oscillations. John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Weird neutrino excess won’t go away, hints at new physics," 8 June 2018 It should be noted that fluctuations in large-scale natural oscillations in both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans also factor into the ebb and flow of moisture, heat and wildfire activity in the West. Jeff Berardelli, CBS News, "Wildfires could grow exponentially as climate warms, study warns," 17 July 2019 Think of it this way: light is an optical oscillation made up of photons. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Scientists found these old photographs contain metallic nanoparticles," 12 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'oscillation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of oscillation

1658, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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More Definitions for oscillation

oscillation

noun

English Language Learners Definition of oscillation

: the act of regularly moving from one position to another and back to the original position
somewhat formal : a frequent change from one state, position, or amount to another
somewhat formal : the act of changing from one belief, feeling, etc., to an opposite one

oscillation

noun
os·​cil·​la·​tion | \ ˌäs-ə-ˈlā-shən How to pronounce oscillation (audio) \

Medical Definition of oscillation

1 : the action or state of oscillating
2 : a flow of electricity changing periodically from a maximum to a minimum especially : a flow periodically changing direction

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