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
Casimir said the plates would act as a kind of guillotine for the electromagnetic field, chopping off long-wavelength oscillations in a way that would skew the zero-point energy.
—George Musser, Quanta Magazine, 5 Jan. 2026
The oscillation of a standing wave is a seiche.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 30 Dec. 2025
Operators gain visibility into oscillations, congestion, and system-wide stability.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 28 Dec. 2025
Still others use the sun’s oscillations (essentially hot liquid earthquakes) to get a secondhand glance at its interior.
—Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 10 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for oscillation
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George Musser, Quanta Magazine, 5 Jan. 2026
The oscillation of a standing wave is a seiche.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 30 Dec. 2025
Operators gain visibility into oscillations, congestion, and system-wide stability.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 28 Dec. 2025
Still others use the sun’s oscillations (essentially hot liquid earthquakes) to get a secondhand glance at its interior.
—Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 10 Dec. 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 7 Jan. 2026.
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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