How to Use oscillate in a Sentence

oscillate

verb
Definition of oscillatenext
Synonyms for oscillatenext
  • If the speed is low enough, the pendulum will oscillate back and forth.
    — Quanta Magazine, 15 Apr. 2024
  • If the speed is low enough, the pendulum will oscillate back and forth.
    — Leila Sloman, WIRED, 5 May 2024
  • The teams engaged at a breakneck pace the rest of the way as the Panthers oscillated between the trap and man-to-man press the length of the floor.
    — Journal Sentinel, 24 Feb. 2023
  • While the inner bead sits there, the outer beads oscillate in and out, slightly out of sync.
    — Adrian Cho, Science | AAAS, 13 May 2021
  • Red begonias, on the other hand, can flourish in plots that oscillate from sun to shade over the course of the day.
    — Adithi Ramakrishnan, Dallas News, 29 June 2023
  • Their heated conversations ebb and flow, oscillating from the state of the world to the state of their lives.
    — Courtney Howard, Variety, 1 Nov. 2023
  • Indeed, the chain can be made to oscillate at a rate that depends on how often it is zapped.
    — The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 5 Aug. 2021
  • At that scale the electric field that speeds the electrons along comes from the light’s oscillating electric field.
    — IEEE Spectrum, 26 Dec. 2023
  • The mass on the spring can oscillate on its own with a natural frequency that depends on the mass of the object and the stiffness of the spring.
    — Rhett Allain, Wired, 21 Feb. 2020
  • Flu rates tend to oscillate, Pavia said, with a mild year often followed by a severe one.
    — Sean P. Means, The Salt Lake Tribune, 22 Feb. 2021
  • This incessant pull back toward the center is what causes the swing to oscillate back and forth.
    — Bykatie McCormick, science.org, 7 Apr. 2023
  • The brand fills a distinct gap, oscillating between old and new, edgy and refined.
    — Barry Samaha, Robb Report, 24 Aug. 2023
  • This appears to be part of a ~70 year cycle for the rotation of the inner core -- in a sense, the core is oscillating rather than spinning.
    — Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 20 Feb. 2023
  • The filmmaker has emerged as one of the most sought-after in town with his ability to oscillate tones, scope and budgets.
    — Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Jan. 2020
  • Prices oscillated between 20 cents on the dollar to as high as 70 cents when the deal was finalized.
    — Tasos Vossos, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2023
  • While the real world continued to oscillate between open and closed, video games remained a constant for some of us here at The Times.
    — New York Times, 2 Jan. 2022
  • The front springs oscillate at a much higher frequency than the rear ones, giving the sort of ride one gets in a small boat hitting choppy waves head-on.
    — Car and Driver, 17 Apr. 2020
  • Physicists have known that for over a decade, but the new research shows for the first time that charm mesons can actually oscillate back and forth between the two states.
    — Caroline Delbert and Courtney Linder, Popular Mechanics, 29 July 2021
  • Second baseman Luis Arraez came up to the Twins in 2019 and will now oscillate through his main position, third base and even left field.
    — Megan Ryan, Star Tribune, 21 Mar. 2021
  • But the outcome is that our bodies oscillate between states of higher and lower arousal throughout the day.
    — Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 13 June 2021
  • Still, the total simplicity of blasting out gunky bits of food thanks to the oscillating head means the Spotlight earns its place on our list.
    — Sarah Bradley, Health, 17 Mar. 2023
  • Some models also have nozzles that oscillate to clean a wider area of the body while other models will have dual-nozzles, one for the back and one for the front.
    — Megan Boettcher, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 July 2022
  • And the fan oscillates up to 85 degrees and has 12 speeds that can cool off big areas, including your living room and bedroom.
    — Toni Sutton, Peoplemag, 2 July 2023
  • Bigger and thicker plates oscillate more slowly, and so send out a deeper note.
    — Helen Czerski, WSJ, 8 Apr. 2021
  • All this as the painting seems to oscillate colors like an octopus.
    — Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2021
  • Huang arrived to find the lab littered with GeForce boxes and the computer cooled by oscillating desk fans.
    — Stephen Witt, The New Yorker, 27 Nov. 2023
  • The United Kingdom’s approach to the country has oscillated wildly over the past 14 years.
    — David Lammy, Foreign Affairs, 17 Apr. 2024
  • Many, like our top pick, the Dreo bladeless fan, have oscillating features which help spread cool air more evenly through a larger space.
    — Rachel Klein, Popular Mechanics, 11 May 2023
  • This forces the traveling neutrino to constantly oscillate among the flavors, depending on what the mix is at the moment.
    — Paul Sutter, Ars Technica, 11 June 2024
  • The national governments oscillate between empowering and funding the commission, and seeking to control it, blame it for failures and grab the credit for successes.
    — Matina Stevis-Gridneff, New York Times, 7 June 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'oscillate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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