Meaning & use

oscillation

noun·Academic

A regular movement back and forth between two points or states.

See it in a sentence

The pendulum's oscillation slowed gradually until it finally came to rest.

Engineers measured the oscillation of the bridge in strong winds.

A note on using this word

Oscillation can describe physical motion, like a swinging pendulum, or a figurative back-and-forth, like oscillating opinions.

Words with a similar meaning

fluctuationvibrationswing

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

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