# resonate

/ˈɹɛzəˌneɪt/ (US) · /ɹˈɛzənˌeɪt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/resonate
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 2. to feel meaningful

verb · CEFR B2

to be received with agreement or to feel personally important to you.

For teachers: to evoke a feeling of shared emotion, belief, or importance in a person or group.

- Her speech about working hard really resonated with the students.
- The candidate's message of economic reform failed to resonate with rural voters, who felt their specific concerns were being ignored.

Usage: Typically takes the preposition 'with' followed by the person or group affected.

Teaching tip: This is the most common way learners will encounter the word in modern media and business contexts.

## Examples

- Her story about moving to a new city resonates with me.
- The candidate's focus on affordable housing began to resonate with younger voters who felt priced out of the city.
- While the technical aspects of the film were impressive, the underlying themes of loss and redemption failed to resonate with the test audience, leading to significant script revisions.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.