resonate

American  

[rez-uh-neyt] / ˈrɛz əˌneɪt /

verb (used without object)

• resonates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• resonated,
  past participle,  past
• resonating
  present participle

1. to resound.

2. to act as a resonator; exhibit resonance.

3. Electronics. to reinforce oscillations because the natural frequency of the device is the same as the frequency of the source.

4. to amplify vocal sound by the sympathetic vibration of air in certain cavities and bony structures.

5. to produce a positive feeling, emotional response, or opinion.

   an issue that clearly resonates with members of our community; a poem that resonates for me.

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verb (used with object)

• resonates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• resonated,
  past participle,  past
• resonating
  present participle

1. to cause to resound.

resonate British  

/ ˈrɛzəˌneɪt /

verb

1. to resound or cause to resound; reverberate

2. (of a mechanical system, electrical circuit, chemical compound, etc) to exhibit or cause to exhibit resonance

3. to be understood or receive a sympathetic response

   themes which will resonate with voters

4. to be filled with

   simple words that seem to resonate with mystery and beauty

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• resonation
  noun
• unresonating
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• resonating
  present
• resonated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• resonate
  simple
• resonates
  simple
• have resonated
  perfect
• has resonated
  perfect
• am resonating
  progressive
• are resonating
  progressive
• is resonating
  progressive
• have been resonating
  perfect progressive
• has been resonating
  perfect progressive

Past

• resonated
  simple
• had resonated
  perfect
• was resonating
  progressive
• were resonating
  progressive
• had been resonating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will resonate
  simple
• will have resonated
  perfect
• will be resonating
  progressive
• will have been resonating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of resonate

First recorded in 1870–75; from Latin resonātus “sounded again,” past participle of resonāre “to sound again”; see resound

Explanation

To resonate is to make, hear, or even understand a deep, full sound. Your speech about the dangers of scarves and convertibles will resonate with your audience if you tell the story of Isadora Duncan's death. The verb resonate, which comes from the Latin resonatum, first referred only to sound, but has now developed an emotional connotation. Resonate sounds a whole lot like another verb, resound, but they have subtly different meanings. Resound means “to repeat the sound,” but resonate means “to expand, amplify.” Sound can resonate when broadcast through speakers, and so can an idea or feeling, when expressed articulately or with passion.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

resonate resonates resonated resonating

I think people resonate with your vulnerabilities and your successes - saw me cope with the heartbreak of Rio, the Chantelle Cameron loss and personal difficulties.

From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026

The region between Earth's surface and the ionosphere can naturally resonate with electromagnetic waves, much like a large cavity.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026

So that lyric kind of does resonate with NCT 127 as a whole.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

The sector-wide challenges had a greater impact on Foot Locker because the brand is reliant on selling legacy and newly launched footwear, which didn’t resonate with customers during the quarter, Stack said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

Such scenarios resonate with contemporary ecological fears, helping to make them popular outside the academy.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

What resonates with me in my mind is the experience of making the movie more than the movie itself — all the people you worked with and the cast and all those good feelings.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

It resonates in part because pregnant women are routinely handed absolutes with little explanation and expected to comply, so permission to have a little leeway is a welcome relief.

From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2026

Professional creators with huge followings can no longer guarantee their audience will see the ads they post, while the work of creators with tiny followings can go viral if their content resonates enough, said Archer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

"I think this one really hits home. We are seeing the world heat up so, yeah, it really resonates in today's world," he told Lucy Owen on BBC Radio Wales.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

Usually when I’m sad, Dad’s deep voice resonates in my chest, soothing my hurt feelings.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

“As someone that resonated with futuristic ideals and what the world could be, I really attached to that.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

Vance converted to Catholicism in 2019, then in his mid-30s, and has described how the Church resonated with his family and social values and his conservative politics.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

And its ads starring Madonna, Spike Lee and other luminaries styling Gap’s classic T-shirts and denim their own way resonated with shoppers: They too could make the look their own.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

But her open-hearted grace and ability to take such slights in stride resonated with everyday folks otherwise overlooked by upper-crust tastemakers.

From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026

It interfered with his concentration: Normally, an ongoing game resonated within him even if he left the table.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Investors see Oracle’s fate as heavily tied to OpenAI’s, so it’s good news that the latest ChatGPT model seems to be resonating with users and technology experts.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026

Target boosted its fiscal-year outlook on the heels of another positive quarter, calling the results further proof that its turnaround strategy is resonating with customers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

“But hey, whatever’s resonating, whatever brings a little bit of joy. Whatever brings a little bit of that stick it to ’em,” she said, doing the thing.

From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2026

On Tuesday night, Shaw sounded hopeful and confident that her campaign themes were resonating beyond her conservative roots.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026

We were too far away to hear their hoofbeats, but as they surged down the track, I thought I could feel the resounding force resonating through my bones.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

Related Words

• echo
• reverberate
• vibrate