pulsate

verb

pul·​sate ˈpəl-ˌsāt 

 also  ˌpəl-ˈsāt

pulsated; pulsating

intransitive verb

1

: to throb or move rhythmically : vibrate

2

: to exhibit a pulse or pulsation : beat

Synonyms

• beat
• palpitate
• pit-a-pat
• pitter-patter
• pulse
• throb

Examples of pulsate in a Sentence

The lights pulsated with the music.

People danced to the pulsating sounds of hip-hop.

Virtually every scene of the movie pulsates with suspense.

Recent Examples on the Web

For this album, Álvarez spent five years studying every aspect of the retro salsa sound, practicing at some of Bogotá’s pulsating neighborhood salsa clubs. —Daniel Alarcón, The New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2024

The device projects a pulsating blue light on the ceiling that starts as a dot and expands into a halo. —Nora Colomer, Fox News, 21 Sep. 2024

The superb cinematography is from Jamie D. Ramsey, and the pulsating score from Steven Price. —Pete Hammond, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2024

The American astronomer Henrietta Leavitt first uncovered a way to do this in 1912 using pulsating stars called Cepheids. —Liz Kruesi, WIRED, 8 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

in part borrowed from Latin pulsātus, past participle of pulsāre "to strike with repeated blows, beat, (in passive) beat wildly (of the heart)," frequentative or repetitive derivative of pellere "to beat against, push, strike"; in part from pulse entry 1 + -ate entry 4 — more at pulse entry 1

First Known Use

1744, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

pulsate

verb

pul·​sate ˈpəl-ˌsāt 

pulsated; pulsating

1

: to throb or move rhythmically

2

: to exhibit a pulse or pulsation : beat

a heart pulsating

Medical Definition

pulsate

intransitive verb

pul·​sate

ˈpəl-ˌsāt also ˌpəl-ˈ

pulsated; pulsating

: to exhibit a pulse or pulsation

a pulsating artery