vibrate
Americanverb (used without object)
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to move rhythmically and steadily to and fro, as a pendulum; oscillate.
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to move to and fro or up and down quickly and repeatedly; quiver; tremble.
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(of sounds) to produce or have a quivering or vibratory effect; resound.
- Synonyms:
- echo
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to thrill, as in emotional response.
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to move between alternatives or extremes; fluctuate; vacillate.
verb (used with object)
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to cause to move rhythmically and steadily to and fro, swing, or oscillate.
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to cause to move to and fro or up and down quickly and repeatedly; cause to quiver or tremble.
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to give forth or emit by, or as by, vibration.
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to measure or indicate by vibration or oscillation.
a pendulum vibrating seconds.
verb
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to move or cause to move back and forth rapidly; shake, quiver, or throb
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(intr) to oscillate
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to send out (a sound) by vibration; resonate or cause to resonate
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(intr) to waver
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physics to undergo or cause to undergo an oscillatory or periodic process, as of an alternating current; oscillate
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rare (intr) to respond emotionally; thrill
Related Words
See shake.
Other Word Forms
- nonvibrating adjective
- revibrate verb
- unvibrated adjective
- unvibrating adjective
- vibratile adjective
- vibrating adjective
- vibratingly adverb
- vibratory adjective
Etymology
Origin of vibrate
First recorded in 1610–20; from Latin vibrātus (past participle of vibrāre “to move to and fro”); -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.
“Surprise!” she squeals, vibrating almost as much as the puppy.
From Literature
A low hum rose from the forest floor, as though every rock and root were vibrating, every bush and bough whispering.
From Literature
Those remarkable dressings displayed here reveal dynamic, shorthand ink vignettes—energetic hieroglyphs and vibrating, wiry stick figures whose spells discharge like lightning.
Because a smaller and lighter stapes can vibrate more rapidly, it can transfer high-frequency sound waves more effectively.
From Science Daily
The street vibrated under me, and the thundering went up my legs.
From Literature
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.
