Definition of 'vibrate'
Word forms: 3rd person singular present tense vibrates, present participle vibrating, past tense, past participle vibrated
transitive verb/intransitive verb
If something vibrates or if you vibrate it, it shakes with repeated small, quick movements.
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
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Word Frequency
vibrate in American English
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈviˌbrated or ˈviˌbrating
1.
to give off (light or sound) by vibration
2.
to set in to-and-fro motion; oscillate
3.
to cause to quiver
verb intransitive
7.
to be emotionally stirred; thrill
SIMILAR WORDS: swing
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
< L vibratus, pp. of vibrare, to vibrate, shake < IE *weib- (< base *wei-, to turn) > wipeWord Frequency
vibrate in American English
(ˈvaibreit) (verb -brated, -brating)
intransitive verb
1.
to move rhythmically and steadily to and fro, as a pendulum; oscillate
2.
to move to and fro or up and down quickly and repeatedly; quiver; tremble
5.
transitive verb
SYNONYMS 2. See shake. 3. echo.6.
to cause to move rhythmically and steadily to and fro, swing, or oscillate
7.
to cause to move to and fro or up and down quickly and repeatedly; cause to quiver
or tremble
8.
to give forth or emit by, or as by, vibration
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
vibratingly adverb
Word Frequency
vibrate in British English
verb
5. physics
to undergo or cause to undergo an oscillatory or periodic process, as of an alternating current; oscillate
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
vibrating (viˈbrating)
adjective
vibratingly (viˈbratingly)
adverb
vibratory (ˈvibratory)
adjective
Word origin
C17: from Latin vibrāreExamples of 'vibrate' in a sentence
vibrate
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In other languages
vibrate
British English: vibrate
VERB /vaɪˈbreɪt/
If something vibrates or if you vibrate it, it shakes with repeated small, quick movements.
The ground shook and the cliffs seemed to vibrate.
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vibrate
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Definition of vibrate from the Collins English Dictionary
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