pulsate

verb

pul·​sate ˈpəl-ˌsāt How to pronounce pulsate (audio)
 also  ˌpəl-ˈsāt
pulsated; pulsating

intransitive verb

1
: to throb or move rhythmically : vibrate
2
: to exhibit a pulse or pulsation : beat

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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Last year, observations of the subtle movements of pulsating stars known as a pulsar timing array revealed a background hum of gravitational waves in the universe — ripples in the fabric of space-time. Quanta Magazine, 23 Oct. 2024 Driven by bold visuals, pulsating music, and minimal dialogue, The Substance delivers a lurid and merciless critique of society’s unsustainable beauty standards. Elissa Suh, Vogue, 18 Sep. 2024 Astronaut Butch Wilmore first reported the pulsating sound coming from a speaker inside the spacecraft to Mission Control at Johnson Space Center in Houston on Saturday, just days before it was set to leave the station and return to Earth on autopilot. Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 2 Sep. 2024 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 See all Example Sentences for pulsate 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of pulsate was in 1744

Dictionary Entries Near pulsate

Cite this Entry

“Pulsate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pulsate. Accessed 9 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

pulsate

verb
pul·​sate ˈpəl-ˌsāt How to pronounce pulsate (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on pulsate

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