verb · neutral
fluctuate
/ˈflʌk.tʃu.eɪt/FLUC·tu·ate
to change frequently in level, often up and down in an irregular way
Examples
“House prices fluctuated widely across the region during the decade.”
“The amount of rainfall fluctuates from year to year.”
“Although overall demand rose, daily sales fluctuated considerably.”
Band 8 sentence
“Although there was an overall upward trend, daily visitor numbers fluctuated markedly, ranging from fewer than 200 to over 1,500 on peak days.”
Collocations
- fluctuate wildly
- fluctuate between X and Y
- slight/considerable fluctuation
Word family
Common mistakes
The figures fluctuate last year.→The figures fluctuated last year.
Sales fluctuated between 10% to 20%.→Sales fluctuated between 10% and 20%.
The rate fluctuate a lot.→The rate fluctuates a lot.
Say it for a higher band
5change a lot→6vary→7+fluctuate
Synonyms
vary
oscillate
Easily confused
vary
“Temperatures vary across the country.”
oscillate
“The measurement oscillated around the set point.”
Related words
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In Rise & fall
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