v. 1 intr. & tr. a swing to and fro like a pendulum. b move to and fro between points. 2 intr. vacillate; vary between extremes of opinion, action, etc. 3 intr. Physics move with periodic regularity. 4 intr. Electr. (of a current) undergo high-frequency alternations as across a spark-gap or in a valve-transmitter circuit. 5 intr. (of a radio receiver) radiate electromagnetic waves owing to faulty operation. oscillation n. oscillator n. oscillatory adj.
[ L oscillare oscillat- swing ]