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 of pulsate

• throb
• vibrate
• beat
• pulse

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

With pulsating strobe lights and a head-banging remix to Britney Spears’s Toxic blaring overhead, models stomped out in clothes that could go straight from the runway and into the nearest nightclub. —Kevin Huynh, InStyle, 12 Mar. 2026

The finale came at the end of a pulsating match that featured two goals apiece from West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen and Brentford’s Igor Thiago. —ABC News, 9 Mar. 2026

Beren Cross analyses a pulsating cup tie. —Beren Cross, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2026

In Milan, the pulsating cauldron inspired by the sun will burn at Arco della Pace. —Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026

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

Rhymes for pulsate

• abate
• airfreight
• await
• baseplate
• berate
• birthdate
• birthrate
• bookplate
• borate
• breastplate
• bromate
• casemate

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