verb · academic
fluctuate
UK/ˈflʌktʃuːeɪt/US/ˈflʌktʃueɪt/FLUC·tu·ate
task1
to rise and fall irregularly; to vary over time
Examples
“Prices fluctuated throughout the year, making forecasts difficult.”
“Attendance at the event fluctuated from month to month.”
“The unemployment rate fluctuates with seasonal demand.”
Band 8 sentence
“Visitor numbers fluctuated throughout the year, peaking in summer and dipping in winter.”
Collocations
- fluctuate between A and B
- fluctuate wildly/slightly
Word family
fluctuate verbfluctuation nounfluctuating adj/verb
Common mistakes
varying→fluctuating / fluctuate
fluctuated up and down→fluctuated
Say it for a higher band
5go up and down→6vary→7+fluctuate
Synonyms
vary
Easily confused
vary
“Temperature tends to fluctuate in coastal regions.”
Related words
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In Rate of change
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