oscillated

verb

past tense of oscillate
1
as in fluctuated
to move back and forth in a rhythmic manner When a guitar string is plucked, it oscillates to produce sound waves in the air.

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Relevance
2
as in alternated
to continuously change from one belief, feeling, or condition to an opposite one The model's hair color oscillates between bleach blond and jet black.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of oscillated During that stretch, NVS consistently held above its rising 40-week moving average while the 14-week RSI oscillated between 50 and overbought territory. — Assiatou Hann, CNBC, 29 July 2026 For decades Washington has oscillated between trying to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and trying to sidestep it. — Thomas Wright, The Atlantic, 16 July 2026 The Feeneys oscillated between C and B over the years, a plus or minus coming depending on how much time had passed since the founding. — Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026 Over the past several years, the rising actor has oscillated between indies, crowd-pleasers, and everything in between. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 11 June 2026 Despite taking our holiday in late April, the start of the wet season, we were blessed with perfect weather—temperatures oscillated between a comfortable 70 and 80 degrees and there wasn't a raindrop in sight. — Christina Perrier, InStyle, 8 June 2026 Hollywood’s relationship with AI has oscillated from a complete rejection to relatively enthusiastic adoption. — Corbin Bolies, Variety, 3 June 2026 Independent polls in the final weeks oscillated between Hilton, Becerra and Steyer, with only the top two advancing under California’s all-party primary system. — Grace Hase, Mercury News, 3 June 2026 Under Andoni Iraola, Bournemouth’s form has often oscillated between streaks of positive and negative results. — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 21 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oscillated
  1. fluctuated
  2. alternated
  3. swung
Verb
  • While payload capacity stats have fluctuated during development, the firm states a maximum payload capacity of 7,000 kilograms to low-Earth orbit.
    — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The number of people considered missing has fluctuated significantly as recovery efforts have accelerated.
    — Jon Haworth, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of fluctuated
Verb
  • The Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series and Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special categories — which have alternated placement on the main telecast every year since 2009 — will now both be presented at the Creative Arts ceremony.
    — Joe Reid, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Over 38 days, a selection of adult male mice alternated days of feeding with days without access to food.
    — Mike McRae August 25, New Atlas, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of alternated
Verb
  • Instead, the chief executive said Hilton's middle- and upper-middle segments have swung from posting negative numbers to growing at rates as high as 6%.
    — Alex Harring, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The bond market swung Friday as investors built bets that the Federal Reserve may hike interest rates soon to get the nation’s high inflation under control.
    — Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of swung

Browse Nearby Words

oscillate
oscillated
oscillates
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Cite this Entry

“Oscillated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oscillated. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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