fluctuation
noun
fluc·tu·a·tion
ˌflək-chə-ˈwā-shən 
-chü-ˈā-
plural fluctuations
: an act or instance of fluctuating : an irregular shifting back and forth or up and down in the level, strength, or value of something
Small fluctuations in prices are to be expected.
Some fluctuation in real estate values is not unusual.
North American species in general, having contended with blazing July days and frosty September nights as they evolved, are much more tolerant of temperature fluctuations than tropical species are.—
Jonathan Franzen
Jonathan Franzen
Examples of fluctuation in a Sentence
political instability that resulted in wild fluctuations in the overseas stock markets
Recent Examples on the Web
The fluctuations reflected variations in the universe’s density, and the denser regions would later coalesce into galaxies and even larger-scale structures of superclusters of galaxies lining up like a cosmic spider web.
—Kenneth Chang, New York Times, 3 June 2024
But the risky maneuvers made the firm’s portfolio highly vulnerable to price fluctuations in a handful of stocks, leading to margin calls in late March 2021 that wiped out more than $100 billion in market value in days, the indictment said.
—Larry Neumeister, Fortune, 14 May 2024
And the investigation begins By late January 2021, trading platform Robinhood halted buying GameStop stock due to abnormal price fluctuations.
—Vinamrata Chaturvedi, Quartz, 13 May 2024
These unusually dramatic fluctuations are due to a rare alignment between fun-loving Venus and stoic Saturn in your 1st House of Self-Expression.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 21 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fluctuation 
Kenneth Chang, New York Times, 3 June 2024
But the risky maneuvers made the firm’s portfolio highly vulnerable to price fluctuations in a handful of stocks, leading to margin calls in late March 2021 that wiped out more than $100 billion in market value in days, the indictment said.
—Larry Neumeister, Fortune, 14 May 2024
And the investigation begins By late January 2021, trading platform Robinhood halted buying GameStop stock due to abnormal price fluctuations.
—Vinamrata Chaturvedi, Quartz, 13 May 2024
These unusually dramatic fluctuations are due to a rare alignment between fun-loving Venus and stoic Saturn in your 1st House of Self-Expression.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 21 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fluctuation
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fluctuation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near fluctuation
Cite this Entry
“Fluctuation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fluctuation. Accessed 10 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
fluctuation
noun
fluc·tu·a·tion
ˌflək-chə-ˈwā-shən
1
: a motion like that of waves
especially
: the wavelike motion of a fluid collected in a natural or artificial cavity of the body observed by palpation or percussion
2
a
: a slight and nonheritable variation
especially
: such a variation occurring in response to environmental factors
b
: recurrent and often more or less cyclic alteration (as of form, size, or color of a bodily part)
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