fluctuate

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin fluctuo, fluctuatus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈflʌktʃu.eɪt/, /ˈflʌktju.eɪt/

• Audio (UK)

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Verb

fluctuate (third-person singular simple present fluctuates, present participle fluctuating, simple past and past participle fluctuated)

1. (intransitive) To vary irregularly; to swing.
2. (intransitive) To undulate. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
3. (intransitive) To be irresolute; to waver.

   I fluctuated between wishing he was back home and wishing I'd never met him.

4. (transitive) To cause to vary irregularly.

Related terms

• fluctuant
• fluctuation

Translations

to vary irregularly; to swing

• Bulgarian: колебая се (kolebaja se), меня се (menja se)
• Catalan: fluctuar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 波动 (zh), 波動 (zh) (bōdòng)

• Czech: kolísat
• Finnish: heilahdella (fi), vaihdella (fi), heittelehtiä
• French: fluctuer (fr)
• German: schwanken (de), fluktuieren (de)
• Greek: κυμαίνομαι (el) (kymaínomai)

• Hungarian: ingadozik (hu)
• Ido: fluktuar (io)
• Maori: manei, mānenei
• Norwegian: svinge (no), fluktuere
• Persian: نوسان کردن‎ (navasân kardan)
• Russian: колеба́ться (ru) impf (kolebátʹsja), меня́ться (ru) impf (menjátʹsja)

to undulate

• Bulgarian: меня (bg) (menja), варирам (bg) (variram)
• Catalan: fluctuar (ca)
• French: onduler (fr)

• Greek: κυμαίνομαι (el) (kymaínomai)
• Hungarian: hullámzik (hu)
• Russian: меня́ться (ru) impf (menjátʹsja), варьи́ровать (ru) impf (varʹírovatʹ)

to be irresolute; to waver

• German: (hin und her) schwanken

to cause to vary irregularly

• Finnish: heilutella (fi), heilautella (fi), heitellä (fi)

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Latin

Verb

flūctuāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of flūctuō