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

2

: variation, fluctuation

… famines due to excessive storminess and violent oscillations of rain and drought, heat and cold.

—Ellsworth Huntington

3

: 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.

oscillational

ˌä-sə-ˈlā-sh(ə-)nəl 

adjective

Synonyms of oscillation

• fluctuation
• change

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 was because the phase of an oscillation encodes information about how events are structured in time relative to each other. — Elise Cutts, Quanta Magazine, 23 Sep. 2026

And the disturbing oscillations are a journey from uncertainty to insight, a train ride from introspection to moral resolution. — Ben Corn, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Sep. 2026

Sungrow addressed this by deliberately triggering oscillations at a real-world plant. — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2026

During running workouts, the Ultra 4 also captures form metrics such as cadence, ground contact time, and vertical oscillation. — Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 17 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1658, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for oscillation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

oscillation

noun

os·​cil·​la·​tion ˌäs-ə-ˈlā-shən 

1

: the action or state of oscillating : vibration

2

: variation sense 1, fluctuation

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