verb (used without object), vi·brat·ed, vi·brat·ing.
- to move rhythmically and steadily to and fro, as a pendulum; oscillate.
- to move to and fro or up and down quickly and repeatedly; quiver; tremble.
- (of sounds) to produce or have a quivering or vibratory effect; resound.
- to thrill, as in emotional response.
- to move between alternatives or extremes; fluctuate; vacillate.
verb (used with object), vi·brat·ed, vi·brat·ing.
- to cause to move rhythmically and steadily to and fro, swing, or oscillate.
- to cause to move to and fro or up and down quickly and repeatedly; cause to quiver or tremble.
- to give forth or emit by, or as by, vibration.
- to measure or indicate by vibration or oscillation: a pendulum vibrating seconds.
verb
- to move or cause to move back and forth rapidly; shake, quiver, or throb
- (intr) to oscillate
- to send out (a sound) by vibration; resonate or cause to resonate
- (intr) to waver
- physics to undergo or cause to undergo an oscillatory or periodic process, as of an alternating current; oscillate
- (intr) rare to respond emotionally; thrill
1610s, from Latin vibratus, past participle of vibrare “move quickly to and fro, shake,” from PIE *w(e)ib- “move quickly to and fro” (cf. Lithuanian wyburiu “to wag” (the tail), Danish vippe, Dutch wippen “to swing,” Old English wipan “to wipe”). Related: Vibrated; vibrating.