Meaning & use
fluctuate
Last updated
UK/ˈflʌktʃueɪt/
US/ˈflʌktʃueɪt/
Meaning
verbintransitive
To go up and down unpredictably in amount, level, or strength.
Grammar: No object; often with between or with: prices fluctuate between two levels.
Patterns
- fluctuate between something and something
- fluctuate with something
Gas prices fluctuate throughout the year.
Her mood fluctuated between hope and worry.
The temperature fluctuates wildly in the desert.
Word forms
| third person singular | fluctuates |
|---|---|
| past tense | fluctuated |
| past participle | fluctuated |
| -ing form | fluctuating |
Common combinations
- fluctuate wildly
- Share prices fluctuated wildly this week.
- fluctuate between
- The number fluctuates between ten and twenty.
- fluctuate with the seasons
- Sales fluctuate with the seasons.
- fluctuate widely
- Rainfall fluctuates widely from year to year.
- fluctuating prices
- Fluctuating prices make planning hard.
Synonyms and how they differ
- vary
- Vary means to differ or change, while fluctuate means to go up and down repeatedly.
- waver
- Waver suggests uncertainty or weakness, whereas fluctuate describes measurable swings.
- oscillate
- Oscillate is more technical and suggests a regular swing, while fluctuate is irregular.
- swing
- Swing is more informal and suggests big changes.
Opposites
stabilizeremain steady
Word family
- fluctuation noun
- an up-and-down change
- fluctuating adjective
- changing up and down
- fluctuant adjective
- formal word for fluctuating
Commonly confused: fluctuate or fluxuate?
fluctuate vs fluxuate
Fluxuate is a common misspelling; the correct form is fluctuate with a ct.
Practice
Hotel prices ___ depending on the season.
Choose one answer.
Fluctuate is the only correct spelling. The others are misspellings.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fluctuate”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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