ricochet

[ rik-uh-shey, rik-uh-shey or, especially British, rik-uh-shet ]
See synonyms for: ricochetricocheted on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. the motion of an object or a projectile in rebounding or deflecting from a surface one or more times as a result of a glancing blow.

verb (used without object),ric·o·cheted [rik-uh-sheyd, rik-uh-sheyd], /ˈrɪk əˌʃeɪd, ˌrɪk əˈʃeɪd/, ric·o·chet·ing [rik-uh-shey-ing, rik-uh-shey-ing] /ˈrɪk əˌʃeɪ ɪŋ, ˌrɪk əˈʃeɪ ɪŋ/ or (especially British) ric·o·chet·ted [rik-uh-shet-id], /ˈrɪk əˌʃɛt ɪd/, ric·o·chet·ting [rik-uh-shet-ing]. /ˈrɪk əˌʃɛt ɪŋ/.
  1. to move by rebounding or deflecting from a surface, as a projectile.

Origin of ricochet

1
First recorded in 1760–70; from French; further origin uncertain

Other words for ricochet

Words Nearby ricochet

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

How to use ricochet in a sentence

  • The general ricochet of the whole over pits and prominences had the gravest pitch of the chime.

    Return of the Native | Thomas Hardy
  • But he glanced along the port side, like a toboggan down-hill, and he seemed to ricochet over the water.

    Tales of Fishes | Zane Grey
  • His pistol barked once, sending a singing ricochet along the hall.

    The Penal Cluster | Ivar Jorgensen (AKA Randall Garrett)
  • Nothing could ruffle Tacony, or produce one false step: he flew round the course, every stride like the ricochet of a 32lb.

British Dictionary definitions for ricochet

ricochet

/ (ˈrɪkəˌʃeɪ, ˈrɪkəˌʃɛt) /


verb-chets, -cheting (-ˌʃeɪɪŋ), -cheted (-ˌʃeɪd), -chets, -chetting (-ˌʃɛtɪŋ) or -chetted (-ˌʃɛtɪd)
  1. (intr) (esp of a bullet) to rebound from a surface or surfaces, usually with a characteristic whining or zipping sound

noun
  1. the motion or sound of a rebounding object, esp a bullet

  2. an object, esp a bullet, that ricochets

Origin of ricochet

1
C18: from French, of unknown origin

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