fluctuate
verb/ˈflʌktʃueɪt/
/ˈflʌktʃueɪt/
[intransitive]Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they fluctuate | /ˈflʌktʃueɪt/ /ˈflʌktʃueɪt/ |
| he / she / it fluctuates | /ˈflʌktʃueɪts/ /ˈflʌktʃueɪts/ |
| past simple fluctuated | /ˈflʌktʃueɪtɪd/ /ˈflʌktʃueɪtɪd/ |
| past participle fluctuated | /ˈflʌktʃueɪtɪd/ /ˈflʌktʃueɪtɪd/ |
| -ing form fluctuating | /ˈflʌktʃueɪtɪŋ/ /ˈflʌktʃueɪtɪŋ/ |
- to change frequently in size, amount, quality, etc., especially from one extreme to another synonym vary
- fluctuating prices
- The documentary follows the fluctuating fortunes of one marketing company.
- fluctuate between A and B During the crisis, oil prices fluctuated between $20 and $40 a barrel.
- + adv./prep. Temperatures can fluctuate by as much as 10 degrees.
- My weight fluctuated wildly depending on how much I ate.
- My mood seems to fluctuate from day to day.
- The rate of inflation has been fluctuating around 4% for some time.
Extra ExamplesTopics Moneyc1- The number of boys at the school fluctuates around 100.
- The number of unemployed fluctuates between two and three million.
- Traffic congestion fluctuates according to the time of day.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- considerably
- greatly
- dramatically
- …
- according to
- around
- between
- …
Word Originmid 17th cent. (earlier (late Middle English) as fluctuation): from Latin fluctuat- ‘undulated’, from the verb fluctuare, from fluctus ‘flow, current, wave’, from fluere ‘to flow’.Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
Check pronunciation:
fluctuate