amplitude

noun

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am·pli·tude | \ ˈam-plə-ˌtüd

, -ˌtyüd \

Definition of amplitude

1 : the extent or range of a quality, property, process, or phenomenon: such as

a : the extent of a vibratory movement (as of a pendulum) measured from the mean position to an extreme

b : the maximum departure of the value of an alternating current or wave from the average value

2 : extent of dignity, excellence, or splendor

3 : the quality or state of being ample : fullness, abundance … the long unerring lines, the sweep and amplitude of the great artist's stroke …— Edith Wharton

4 mathematics : the angle assigned to a complex number when it is plotted in a complex plane using polar coordinates

— called also argument

— compare absolute value sense 2

5 : the height achieved on a jump by a snowboarder, skateboarder, skier, etc. " … a lot of my strength in snowboarding is my amplitude … "— Shaun White

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Examples of amplitude in a Sentence

the amplitude of Thomas Jefferson's interests—government, architecture, agriculture, science, philosophy—is truly awesome

Recent Examples on the Web Each whole number increase — from, say, 3 to 4, or 6 to 7 — is a tenfold increase in amplitude. — Madalyn Amato, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2021 The typical variations that are actually observed in the cosmic microwave background radiation had an initial amplitude that is a hundred thousand times smaller than needed to make black holes. — Avi Loeb, Scientific American, 6 June 2021 Finally, the amplitude (or height) of the detected wave can reveal how far the system is from our telescopes on Earth. — Steve Nadis, Wired, 23 May 2021 The magnitude of the masses, the separation of the masses, and the speed of the masses moving through that curved spacetime determines the amplitude, frequency, and energy emitted through gravitational radiation. — Ethan Siegel, Forbes, 5 May 2021 Further, pulse amplitude will be increased up to +/-3V, 150% higher than available on most pulsing equipment today. — Tom Coughlin, Forbes, 27 Apr. 2021 The development team says particular attention was paid to improving the SVR's ride over high-frequency bumps, although at lower speeds and over large-amplitude undulations the ride did feel firm. — Mike Duff, Car and Driver, 1 Mar. 2021 The whole idea of vault is to get enough momentum to perform a trick but have enough amplitude to drop straight down for the landing. — The Salt Lake Tribune, 31 Mar. 2021 Determining the direction reveals the exact amplitude of the waves. — Davide Castelvecchi, Scientific American, 24 Mar. 2016

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