Definition of perturbation
1 : the action of perturbing : the state of being perturbed
2 : a disturbance of motion, course, arrangement, or state of equilibrium; especially : a disturbance of the regular and usually elliptical course of motion of a celestial body that is produced by some force additional to that which causes its regular motion
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Examples of perturbation in a Sentence
a perturbation in the planet's orbit
in her perturbation she kept calling her son, a freshman, to see if everything was all right at college
Recent Examples of perturbation from the Web
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That’s obviously impossible for humans to perceive, but LIGO’s detectors are so sensitive that even such tiny perturbations can’t escape their laser eyes.
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This frequency is: Here ν is the frequency of the perturbation and h is a constant (the Planck constant).
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'perturbation'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of perturbation
14th century
PERTURBATION Defined for English Language Learners
perturbation
playDefinition of perturbation for English Language Learners
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: a change in the normal state or regular movement of something
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: the state of being worried or upset
Learn More about perturbation
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See words that rhyme with perturbation Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for perturbation Britannica English: Translation of perturbation for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about perturbation
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