pulsate
Americanverb (used without object)
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to expand and contract rhythmically, as the heart; beat; throb.
- Synonyms:
- pulse
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to vibrate; quiver.
verb
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to expand and contract with a rhythmic beat; throb
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physics to vary in intensity, magnitude, size, etc
the current was pulsating
-
to quiver or vibrate
Related Words
Pulsate, beat, palpitate, throb refer to the recurrent vibratory movement of the heart, the pulse, etc. To pulsate is to move in a definite rhythm, temporarily or for a longer duration: Blood pulsates in the arteries. To beat is to repeat a vibration or pulsation regularly for some time: One's heart beats many times a minute. To palpitate is to beat at a rapid rate, often producing a flutter: to palpitate with excitement. To throb is to beat with an unusual force that is often associated with pain or heightened emotion or sensation: to throb with terror.
Other Word Forms
- nonpulsating adjective
- pulsative adjective
- pulsatively adverb
- unpulsating adjective
Etymology
Origin of pulsate
1785–95; < Latin pulsātus, past participle of pulsāre to batter, strike, make (strings) vibrate. See pulse 1, -ate 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This makes the booster appear to slowly pulsate; it gets brighter and dimmer on a regular cycle as it tumbles.
From Scientific American • Sep. 15, 2023
They pulsate, drip, twist, ooze, squirm and sometimes even metamorphose, and when they were displayed alongside the menacing work of the “Alien” artist H.R.
From New York Times • Jun. 23, 2023
Come 8 September, Paris will pulsate to the prospect of hosts France taking on three-time champions New Zealand in the tournament's opening match.
From BBC • Nov. 4, 2022
The paintings — they’re big — pulsate on the walls.
From Washington Post • Aug. 10, 2022
Cepheid stars pulsate, getting brighter and dimmer in a very predictable way; the way they pulsate is closely related to how much light they put out.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
