reverberate

[ verb ri-vur-buh-reyt; adjective ri-vur-ber-it ]
See synonyms for: reverberatereverberatedreverberating on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object),re·ver·ber·at·ed, re·ver·ber·at·ing.
  1. to reecho or resound: Her singing reverberated through the house.

  2. Physics. to be reflected many times, as sound waves from the walls of a confined space.

  1. to rebound or recoil.

  2. to be deflected, as flame in a reverberatory furnace.

verb (used with object),re·ver·ber·at·ed, re·ver·ber·at·ing.
  1. to echo back or reecho (sound).

  2. to cast back or reflect (light, heat, etc.).

  1. to subject to reflected heat, as in a reverberatory furnace.

adjective

Origin of reverberate

1
First recorded in 1540–50, reverberate is from the Latin word reverberātus (past participle of reverberāre to strike back). See reverberant, -ate1

Other words for reverberate

Other words from reverberate

  • re·ver·ber·a·tive [ri-vur-buh-rey-tiv, -ber-uh-], /rɪˈvɜr bəˌreɪ tɪv, -bər ə-/, adjective
  • re·ver·ber·a·tor, noun
  • un·re·ver·ber·at·ed, adjective
  • un·re·ver·ber·at·ing, adjective
  • un·re·ver·ber·a·tive, adjective

Words Nearby reverberate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use reverberate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for reverberate

reverberate

/ (rɪˈvɜːbəˌreɪt) /


verb
  1. (intr) to resound or re-echo: the explosion reverberated through the castle

  2. to reflect or be reflected many times

  1. (intr) to rebound or recoil

  2. (intr) (of the flame or heat in a reverberatory furnace) to be deflected onto the metal or ore on the hearth

  3. (tr) to heat, melt, or refine (a metal or ore) in a reverberatory furnace

Origin of reverberate

1
C16: from Latin reverberāre to strike back, from re- + verberāre to beat, from verber a lash

Derived forms of reverberate

  • reverberant or rare reverberative, adjective
  • reverberantly, adverb
  • reverberation, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012