Link Centre Dictionary

fluctuate

fluc·tuate

UK/ˈflʌkt͡ʃu.eɪt/ US/ˈflʌkʃu.eɪt/ uncommon obsolete rare

verb

1.

cause to fluctuate or move in a wave-like pattern

2.

move or sway in a rising and falling or wavelike pattern

  • “the line on the monitor vacillated”
Synonyms
3.

be unstable; have ups and downs

  • “The stock market fluctuates”

Origin

First attested in the 1630'; borrowed from Latin flūctuātus, perfect passive participle of flūctuō (“(of the sea) to surge, swell; (of man) to waver, fluctuate”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix).

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.