oscillator

noun

os·​cil·​la·​tor ˈä-sə-ˌlā-tər How to pronounce oscillator (audio)
1
: one that oscillates
2
: a device for producing alternating current
especially : a radio-frequency or audio-frequency generator

Examples of oscillator in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web For now, the Nasdaq 100 chart suggests the rally is overheated based on standard technical oscillators regardless of the daily, monthly, or weekly time frame. Moneyshow, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 What is the source of the Entity FX that the sound team created using oscillators, filters and modulators? Craigh Barboza, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Feb. 2024 As described in the accompanying Hands On article, this project is a digital clock that uses a high stability 10 Megahertz oscillator as its timing reference. IEEE Spectrum, 30 Jan. 2024 Normal Computing’s stochastic processing unit, or SPU, exploits the thermodynamic properties of electrical oscillators to perform calculations using random fluctuations that occur inside the circuits. Will Knight, WIRED, 18 Jan. 2024 The plans called for a 478-key keyboard, an analog synthesizer, a bank of oscillators, and an impossibly intricate series of circuits between them. Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 19 Dec. 2023 Like the heartbeat of a human, timing technologies such as oscillators and clock chips are fundamental building blocks of complex circuits, systems and networks. Dave Altavilla, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024 Soon after oscillators were discovered, the game’s early explorers wondered whether there are oscillators of every period. Alex Stone, Quanta Magazine, 18 Jan. 2024 Mitchell and co’s paper describes all 43 of these oscillators along with the techniques that computer scientists and mathematicians have developed to find them and build ever more capable oscillators. The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 13 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'oscillator.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1798, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of oscillator was in 1798

Dictionary Entries Near oscillator

Cite this Entry

“Oscillator.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oscillator. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

oscillator

noun
os·​cil·​la·​tor ˈäs-ə-ˌlāt-ər How to pronounce oscillator (audio)
1
: one that oscillates
2
: a device for producing alternating current
especially : a radio-frequency or audio-frequency generator

Medical Definition

oscillator

noun
os·​cil·​la·​tor ˈäs-ə-ˌlāt-ər How to pronounce oscillator (audio)
: a device or mechanism for producing or controlling oscillations
especially : one (as a radio-frequency generator) for producing an alternating current

More from Merriam-Webster on oscillator

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