ricochet
Americannoun
-
ricochets
plural
verb (used without object)
-
ricochets,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ricocheted,
past participle, past
-
ricochetted,
past participle, past (especially British)
-
ricocheting,
present participle
-
ricochetting
present participle (especially British)
verb
noun
-
the motion or sound of a rebounding object, esp a bullet
-
an object, esp a bullet, that ricochets
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
ricochetsimple
-
ricochetssimple
-
have ricochetedperfect
-
have ricochettedperfect
-
has ricochetedperfect
-
has ricochettedperfect
-
am ricochetingprogressive
-
am ricochettingprogressive
-
are ricochetingprogressive
-
are ricochettingprogressive
-
is ricochetingprogressive
-
is ricochettingprogressive
-
have been ricochetingperfect progressive
-
have been ricochettingperfect progressive
-
has been ricochetingperfect progressive
-
has been ricochettingperfect progressive
Past
-
ricochetedsimple
-
ricochettedsimple
-
had ricochetedperfect
-
had ricochettedperfect
-
was ricochetingprogressive
-
was ricochettingprogressive
-
were ricochetingprogressive
-
were ricochettingprogressive
-
had been ricochetingperfect progressive
-
had been ricochettingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of ricochet
First recorded in 1760–70; from French; further origin uncertain
Explanation
A projectile that bounces off another surface is said to ricochet. You missed when you threw your crumpled paper at the wastepaper basket. Instead, the paper ricocheted off the wall and hit your brother on the head. The battle was on! As a noun, ricochet refers to the rebound or to the object that ricochets. If someone shoots a bullet and it ricochets off a tree, you can survive the initial gunfire only to be caught by the ricochet. The word ricochet is from the French word of the same spelling. Because of its French origin, the word is still pronounced with the soft French "shay" sound at the end — not a hard "T."
Vocabulary lists containing ricochet
Touching Spirit Bear
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The Skin I'm In
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Code Talker
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Engineers said they were able to debunk some "myths", including that bullets can ricochet off the curve in the ballistic plate.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
That means any deteriorating credit backdrop, a pickup in credit losses or higher yields still could ricochet through private credit or other publicly traded funds.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
After Chung and Klugo huddle, they line up on the court like two halves of the same body, moving in tandem as the balls ricochet off rackets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
Ms. Frank’s unconventional, imaginatively orchestrated score maps their dreamlike journey as they ricochet through different planes of existence, and find resolution together in their love and their art.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
Therefore, it can ricochet through even a thick layer of dense material without losing much energy.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
"Is anyone alive in here?!" the voice of Moises Faramaya ricochets around the ruins of the same neighborhood.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
In her refusal to shy away from the grime and grit of Yuknavitch’s story, Stewart creates a startlingly raw atmosphere that ricochets between discordant and truly inspiring.
From Salon ● Jan. 1, 2026
The book ricochets back and forth in time, with such section headings as “Twelve Days Before the Robbery” and “Thirteen Years Earlier.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025
She ricochets around from store to store, coupons in hand, seeking bargains as if on a treasure hunt.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2024
The sheer noisiness of them, of their heavy boots, and loud voices, buzzed on by their sense of urgency, ricochets through the quiet hush of the hospital and breathes some life into the place.
From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman
Close-up shots of him face-to-face with Holmes have ricocheted across social media and already become the stuff of meme gold.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
Djokovic was serving for a place in the final when the ball ricocheted off the back of the court.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Alek Thomas led off with a double to left that ricocheted off the wall on a hop.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026
The firm’s unraveling ricocheted across the financial world, especially on now-defunct Swiss bank Credit Suisse, which had sold loans by the firm to its clients.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
Panicked animals ricocheted off one another, throwing us against the wall so many times I got dizzy.
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
The last shot kicked up a yellow fountain of spray in the glare of the searchlight, and ricochetted, humming, over the target and on towards Malaya.
From H.M.S. —— by John Graham Bower
The missile passed a few feet in front of the tramp's bows, and, throwing up a shower of spray that burst inboard on the British vessel's fo'c'sle, ricochetted a mile or so away.
From The Submarine Hunters A Story of the Naval Patrol Work in the Great War by Edward S. Hodgson
Instead of sinking, the shot ricochetted from the water and carried away the bow of the boat in passing, whirling it round and almost overturning it.
From The Battle and the Breeze by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne
Back and forth he ricochetted along the narrow street, singing and swinging, mouth open, with strange, happy cries coming from it.
From Civilization Tales of the Orient by Ellen Newbold La Motte
"That other feller knows his business, Elder," remarked Nevada as a slug ricochetted past his head.
From Hopalong Cassidy by Clarence E. Mulford
Now, the template of how the team made a softer, affordable diaper is ricocheting across the $33 billion company.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
Here, Smith shows off his footballing skills to stop the ball from ricocheting on to the stumps during the Lord's Test.
From BBC ● Dec. 25, 2025
Their motion resembles a pinball ricocheting between stationary posts.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 17, 2025
Sometimes hands come into view, at other times there is only the spinning, ricocheting ball.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 15, 2023
Her mouth is open and her head shakes slightly, like my words are ricocheting around inside.
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
Many glanced, spun ricochetting into the sea, and with a venomous buzzing like huge, angry hornets, lost themselves in quick, white spurts of foam.
From The Flying Legion by George Allan England
Several couples cannoned off James and went ricochetting to the farther end of the room, and one went down.
From The Island of Gold A Sailor's Yarn by Gordon Stables
For just then there was a puff of smoke from the cutter, and we could just make out, by the way it dipped, the round shot that went ricochetting over the sea.
From Devon Boys A Tale of the North Shore by Gordon Browne
These came down past us like cannon-balls, ricochetting by big bounds.
From Noto: an Unexplained Corner of Japan by Percival Lowell
He grinned affectionately upon her as with a dislocating jerk the cart started a ricochetting career down the street, with that abandon known only to butchers' carts.
From Mother by Kathleen Thompson Norris
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