backlash

American  

[bak-lash] / ˈbækˌlæʃ /

noun

• backlashes
  plural

1. a sudden, forceful backward movement; recoil.

2. a strong or violent reaction, as to some social or political change.

   a backlash of angry feeling among Southern conservatives within the party.

3. Machinery.

   1. the space between the thickness of a gear tooth and the width of the space between teeth in the mating gear, designed to allow for a film of lubricant, binding from heat expansion and eccentricity, or manufacturing inaccuracies.

   2. play or lost motion between loosely fitting machine parts.

4. Angling. a snarled line on a reel, usually caused by a faulty cast.

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verb (used without object)

1. to make or undergo a backlash.

backlash British  

/ ˈbækˌlæʃ /

noun

1. a reaction or recoil between interacting worn or badly fitting parts in a mechanism

2. the play between parts

3. a sudden and adverse reaction, esp to a political or social development

   a public backlash against the government is inevitable

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• backlashes
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of backlash

First recorded in 1805–15; back ² + lash ¹

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Explanation

When many people react against something in the same way, you can call it a backlash. A backlash against government policies can result in mass protests. When people get angry enough about something — or just tired of hearing about it — the result can be a backlash. An influx of refugees to a city can cause a backlash against immigration, and the popularity of a particular style of music might eventually cause a backlash against it. A true backlash involves many people acting together. The original, 1815 meaning of backlash was "recoil between parts of a machine." It wasn't until the 1950's that the figurative meaning came into use.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

backlash backlashes

"This is a major backlash across the country - constituents are seeing the impacts of data centres and they do not like them."

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

But the paranoid backlash came just as quickly.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

“Imagine our surprise when our small local business was suddenly attacked by 8 million people who have never visited our store,” the business wrote on Instagram, describing the backlash as a “surreal experience.”

From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026

The Federal Trade Commission seems poised to join the backlash against personalized pricing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026

If the deal died now, there might be a public backlash against Belmont.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Several celebrities or influencers who have ventured into the crypto market have faced similar backlashes.

From BBC ● Dec. 6, 2024

Oligarchs haven’t always been willing to be visible because in history, there have been backlashes against wealth and wealth-power.

From Slate ● Nov. 15, 2024

By starting the exercise while most students were away on winter break, university leaders minimized the raucous backlashes that have bedeviled previous attempts by campus officials to take control of the park.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 6, 2024

Facebook has similarly made platform changes that have irked developers and caused backlashes.

From New York Times ● Jun. 23, 2023

Egyptian women have faced public backlashes as well.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 1, 2022

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Related Words

• reaction
• repercussion
• resentment
• resistance
• response
• retaliation

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