oscillation
noun
os·cil·la·tion
ˌä-sə-ˈlā-shən
1
: the action or state of oscillating
… stays can be effectively used to prevent oscillations in new bridges …—D. B. Steinman
2
: variation, fluctuation
… famines due to excessive storminess and violent oscillations of rain and drought, heat and cold.—Ellsworth Huntington
3
: a flow of electricity changing periodically from a maximum to a minimum
especially
: a flow periodically changing direction
4
: a single swing (as of an oscillating body) from one extreme limit to the other
Each oscillation of the pendulum represents one second.
Cite this Entry
“Oscillation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oscillation. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.
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