resonate

verb res·o·nate \ ˈre-zə-ˌnāt \

|Updated on: 19 Jun 2018

Examples: resonate in a Sentence

Editor's Note: resonate vs. reverberate

Definition of resonate

resonated; resonating

intransitive verb

1 : to produce or exhibit resonance

2 : to respond as if by resonance

resonate to the music

; also : to have a repetitive pattern that resembles resonance

3 : to relate harmoniously : strike a chord

a message that resonates with voters

transitive verb

: to subject to resonating

See resonate defined for English-language learners

See resonate defined for kids

Examples of resonate in a Sentence

The siren resonated throughout the city.
the deep sounds of the bassoon resonated through the concert hall

Recent Examples of resonate from the Web

Director Sheryl Kaller’s kinetic pacing continually pushes melodramatic moments at the audience without allowing any one to land or resonate before delivering another.

— SFChronicle.com, "World premiere musical ‘Walk on the Moon’ in S.F. mostly captures spirit of 1969," 16 June 2018
Helmut stood out and resonated to me so much as [his work] was so pure and uncompromising.

— mark holgate, Vogue, "Helmut Lang Is Still Hugely Influential - And One Man Has The Most Incredible Archive Of His Designs," 15 June 2018
That reckoning spoke not only to Philbin’s aesthetic but to a provocative instinct that art should define its era, challenge its politics and resonate with a truth that can startle and illuminate.

— jeffrey fleishman, latimes.com, "Ann Philbin and the art of the provocative are thriving at the Hammer Museum," 15 June 2018
But the reason the Theranos saga has resonated so deeply, and that Holmes and Balwani face such serious charges now, is that the scandal also transcends the typical tech hype cycle.

— brian barrett, WIRED, "The Theranos Indictments Expose the Soul of Silicon Valley," 15 June 2018
That hasn’t entirely worked out in the real world isn’t the writers’ fault, of course, but recent seasons have resonated with me differently, despite the 1980s setting.

— ellen gray, Philly.com, "'The Americans' serves up a heart-pounding finale (with spoilers)," 31 May 2018
Her motherhood lyrics resonate alongside the political poems and reveal the depth of her compassion.

— diana whitney, San Francisco Chronicle, "New poetry by Tracy K. Smith, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Shauna Hannibal," 28 May 2018
Many of the messages in the Russian Facebook ads align with our most strongly held beliefs or resonate with important parts of our identities.

— alvin chang, Vox, "When Russian trolls wanted to divide America, they knew what to use: race," 15 May 2018
The business model clearly resonates, and UMBFS now employs over 250 associates in their Milwaukee office to tend to the needs of their growing client base.

— jessica levy, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "At UMB Fund Services, culture is a competitive advantage," 4 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'resonate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

resonate vs. reverberate

Resonate and reverberate each have at least one meaning that is concerned with sound, and they carry a degree of overlap in their definitions. However, there are some subtle differences between them that are worth observing. Resonate typically suggests that a single lasting sound is produced; reverberate, on the other hand, indicates that an initial sound is followed by a series of echoes. In terms of the contexts in which they are used, resonate often involves a person (“that passage of the book resonated with many young readers”); reverberate, on the other hand, is more likely to be used of a thing, such as the aftermath of some major event (“the shock caused by the assassination reverberated across Europe”).

First Known Use of resonate

1873

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

resonate Synonyms

Synonyms

echo, reecho, resound, reverberate, sound;

Near Antonyms

damp, dampen, deaden, dull, quiet;

Related Words

Other Music Terms

cacophony, chorister, concerto, counterpoint, madrigal, obbligato, presto, refrain, riff, segue

RESONATE Defined for English Language Learners

resonate

verb

Definition of resonate for English Language Learners

: to continue to produce a loud, clear, deep sound for a long time
: to have particular meaning or importance for someone : to affect or appeal to someone in a personal or emotional way

Learn More about resonate

See words that rhyme with resonate Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for resonate Nglish: Translation of resonate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of resonate for Arabic speakers

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