oscillation
noun
os·cil·la·tion
ˌä-sə-ˈlā-shən 
1
: the action or state of oscillating
stays can be effectively used to prevent oscillations in new bridges—
D. B. Steinman
D. B. Steinman2
: variation, fluctuation
famines due to excessive storminess and violent oscillations of rain and drought, heat and cold—Ellsworth Huntington
Ellsworth Huntington3
: 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.
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
This pulse can trigger a process known as electromagnetic dissociation, in which a photon interacts with a nucleus, inducing internal oscillations that eject neutrons and photons.
—Victoria Corless, Space.com, 13 May 2025
The Watch 3 also offers detailed running form analytics, including cadence, ground contact balance, ground contact time, power, and vertical oscillation.
—PCMAG, 18 Feb. 2025
And its tracing of spatial distributions emerges from spying enormous bubblelike arrangements of galaxies thought to have formed from more primordial templates, called baryon acoustic oscillations (BAOs).
—Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 30 Apr. 2025
Users can choose to heat or cool an entire room with 70-degree oscillation or concentrate the gadget’s power to one area.
—Maggie Horton, People.com, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oscillation
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Victoria Corless, Space.com, 13 May 2025
The Watch 3 also offers detailed running form analytics, including cadence, ground contact balance, ground contact time, power, and vertical oscillation.
—PCMAG, 18 Feb. 2025
And its tracing of spatial distributions emerges from spying enormous bubblelike arrangements of galaxies thought to have formed from more primordial templates, called baryon acoustic oscillations (BAOs).
—Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 30 Apr. 2025
Users can choose to heat or cool an entire room with 70-degree oscillation or concentrate the gadget’s power to one area.
—Maggie Horton, People.com, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oscillation
Cite this Entry
“Oscillation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oscillation. Accessed 27 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
oscillation
noun
os·cil·la·tion
ˌäs-ə-ˈlā-shən
1
: the action or state of oscillating : vibration
3
: a single swing (as of an oscillating body) from one extreme limit to the other
Medical Definition
oscillation
noun
os·cil·la·tion
ˌäs-ə-ˈlā-shən
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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