oscilloscope
noun
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In Latin oscillare means "to swing", and our word oscillation usually means "vibration" or "variation", especially in a changing flow of electricity. The oscilloscope basically draws a graph of an electrical signal. Since all kinds of physical phenomena can be converted into an electric voltage, oscilloscopes can be used to measure such things as sound, light, and heat. So an oscilloscope can analyze how one clarinet's sound is different from another's, or how one bulb's light differs from another's. Auto mechanics use oscilloscopes to measure engine vibrations; doctors use them to measure brain waves. Audio technicians use oscilloscopes to diagnose problems in audio equipment; TV and radio technicians use them to diagnose TV and radio problems. But oscilloscopes are most essential today to high-tech electronics experimentation.
Examples of oscilloscope in a Sentence
IEEE Spectrum, 19 Aug. 2025
In the next shot, Oppenheimer watches as Alvarez shows him a series of spiking pulses on an oscilloscope, indicating that fission is indeed taking place.
—Alec Nevala-Lee
june 11, Literary Hub, 11 June 2025
By using an oscilloscope to measure the electromagnetic radiation while the token is authenticating itself, the researchers can detect tiny execution time differences that reveal a token’s ephemeral ECDSA key, also known as a nonce.
—Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 3 Sep. 2024
To really make an identification requires an oscilloscope, a scientific instrument that graphically shows the intensity of sound, measuring frequency, wavelength and amplitude.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 6 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for oscilloscope
Cite this Entry
“Oscilloscope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oscilloscope. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
oscilloscope
noun
Medical Definition
oscilloscope
noun
called also cathode-ray oscilloscope
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