Dictionary › V › vibrate

vibrate

2 syllables

Quick answer

As a verb, vibrate means shake with small, rapid movements to and fro. As a noun, it means the setting, on a portable electronic device, that causes it to vibrate rather than sound any (or most) needed alarms.

Meanings of vibrate

14 meanings

verb

To shake with small, rapid movements to and fro.
To resonate.
“Her mind was vibrating with excitement.”
To brandish; to swing to and fro.
“to vibrate a sword or a staff”
To mark or measure by moving to and fro.
“a pendulum vibrating seconds”
To affect with vibratory motion; to set in vibration.
musicTo use vibrato.
slangTo pleasure someone using a vibrator.
Shake, quiver, or throb; move back and forth rapidly, usually in an uncontrolled manner
Move or swing from side to side regularly
“the needle on the meter was oscillating”
Similar: oscillate
Be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action
“He oscillates between accepting the new position and retirement”
Similar: hover, vacillate, oscillate
Sound with resonance
“The sound resonates well in this theater”
Similar: resonate
Feel sudden intense sensation or emotion
“he was thrilled by the speed and the roar of the engine”
Similar: thrill, tickle

Older and rare meanings (1)

slangdatedTo please or impress someone.

noun

The setting, on a portable electronic device, that causes it to vibrate rather than sound any (or most) needed alarms.
“Please put your cellphones on vibrate for the duration of the meeting.”

Meanings from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0).