cascade

American  

[kas-keyd] / kæsˈkeɪd /

noun

• cascades
  plural

1. a waterfall descending over a steep, rocky surface.

2. a series of shallow or steplike waterfalls, either natural or artificial.

3. anything that resembles a waterfall, especially in seeming to flow or fall in abundance.

   a cascade of roses covering the wall.

4. (in a drain or sewer) a chain of steps for dissipating the momentum of falling water in a steep place in order to maintain a steady rate of flow.

5. an arrangement of a lightweight fabric in folds falling one over another in random or zigzag fashion.

6. a type of firework resembling a waterfall in effect.

7. Chemistry. a series of vessels, from each of which a fluid successively overflows to the next, thus presenting a large absorbing surface, as to a gas.

8. Electricity. an arrangement of component devices, as electrolytic cells, each of which feeds into the next in succession.

9. Biochemistry. a series of reactions catalyzed by enzymes that are activated sequentially by successive products of the reactions, resulting in an amplification of the initial response.

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verb (used without object)

• cascades,
  present (3rd person singular)
• cascaded,
  past participle,  past
• cascading
  present participle

1. to fall in or like a cascade.

verb (used with object)

• cascades,
  present (3rd person singular)
• cascaded,
  past participle,  past
• cascading
  present participle

1. to cause to fall in a cascade.

2. Electricity. to arrange (components) in a cascade.

cascade British  

/ kæsˈkeɪd /

noun

1. a waterfall or series of waterfalls over rocks

2. something resembling this, such as folds of lace

3. 1. a consecutive sequence of chemical or physical processes

   2. ( as modifier )

      cascade liquefaction

4. 1. a series of stages in the processing chain of an electrical signal where each operates the next in turn

   2. ( as modifier )

      a cascade amplifier

5. the cumulative process responsible for the formation of an electrical discharge, cosmic-ray shower, or Geiger counter avalanche in a gas

6. the sequence of spontaneous decays by an excited atom or ion

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verb

1. (intr) to flow or fall in or like a cascade

cascade Scientific  

/ kăs-kād′ /

1. A series of chemical or physiological processes that occur in successive stages, each of which is dependent on the preceding one, to produce a culminating effect. The steps involved in the clotting of blood occur as a cascade.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cascader
  noun
• uncascaded
  adjective
• uncascading
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cascades
  plural

Participles

• cascading
  present
• cascaded
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• cascade
  simple
• cascades
  simple
• have cascaded
  perfect
• has cascaded
  perfect
• am cascading
  progressive
• are cascading
  progressive
• is cascading
  progressive
• have been cascading
  perfect progressive
• has been cascading
  perfect progressive

Past

• cascaded
  simple
• had cascaded
  perfect
• was cascading
  progressive
• were cascading
  progressive
• had been cascading
  perfect progressive

Future

• will cascade
  simple
• will have cascaded
  perfect
• will be cascading
  progressive
• will have been cascading
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of cascade

First recorded in 1635–45; from French, from Italian cascata, from casc(are) “to fall” (from Vulgar Latin cāsicāre (unrecorded), from cās(us) “fallen,” past participle of cadere “to fall”; cf. cadenza, case ¹) + -ata -ade ¹

Explanation

Think of a cascade as something suddenly falling, tumbling down in a rush. The word cascade conjures up a vision of anything falling in a manner resembling a waterfall — think of a cascade of shining hair, a sudden cascade of tears, or the cascade of light during a meteor shower. The idea behind the word is of something falling in a progressive manner or a series of steps. A downward progression of musical themes can be called a cascade, as can the disastrous cascade of the tumbling price of a stock on Wall Street.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cascade cascades cascaded cascading

Researchers warn the growing density of space junk could trigger the so-called "Kessler syndrome" cascade of collisions.

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

A red cartoon hunk of steak, a bronzed turkey, a few shrimp, a tub of unsweetened yogurt, an apple and a bag of frozen peas cascade alongside him.

From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026

It is an understatement to say this triggers a cascade of questions.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

At Maywood’s Riverfront Park, Ma was accompanied by the vroom of nearby traffic, cascade of a yucca rainstick and burbling hum of a water synth.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

A high cascade of sound bubbled from the organ, spreading, thick and clinging, over the chapel, slowly surging.

From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison

It is hard to imagine that Iran’s centrifuge cascades survived the intense bombing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026

"The longer it goes on, that kind of cascades into much bigger problems, particularly if there's not enough oil in general to run stuff."

From Barron's ● May 6, 2026

"Ripple et al. argued that carnivore recovery produced one of the world's strongest trophic cascades," said Dr. Daniel MacNulty, lead author and wildlife ecologist at Utah State University.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 12, 2026

"We have had Japanese wedding celebrations conducted underneath the cascades of double blossom," she says.

From BBC ● May 1, 2025

It comes undone and cascades down her back.

From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez

The downpour cascaded into subway stations and flooded city streets in parts of New York and the Tri-State area, which also includes Connecticut, while some drivers abandoned their vehicles in rising water.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

The study also demonstrated that these artificial neurons can be linked together, or "cascaded," into larger networks.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 12, 2026

Conuma’s production pause cascaded far beyond eastern British Columbia as it halted a railroad line, stalled activity at a Pacific Ocean port and complicated steelmaking schedules in Asia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 16, 2026

Her hair cascaded down her back in curls.

From Barron's ● Feb. 2, 2026

Immediately, there cascaded from the fluting organ confetti of skittering triplets as the vicar turned to lead the couple down the aisle and the six family members fell in behind.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

The bump was on full show in the custom Atelier Prabal Gurung crop top, which the designer described as a "sculptural high-low halter top with a cascading train".

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

Leverage played a large role in a cascading crypto crash last October.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

Rather than being limited to isolated shortages, disruptions in one country or production stage can spread through the network, triggering cascading failures across multiple regions and industries.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 20, 2026

On Friday morning, several people sat by the restored cascading fountain at Meridian Hill Park.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026

He has to shout to be heard over the cascading water.

From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein

Related Words

• descend
• gush
• overflow
• pour
• spew
• spill
• tumble