backlash
Americannoun
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a sudden, forceful backward movement; recoil.
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a strong or violent reaction, as to some social or political change.
a backlash of angry feeling among Southern conservatives within the party.
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Machinery.
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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.
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play or lost motion between loosely fitting machine parts.
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Angling. a snarled line on a reel, usually caused by a faulty cast.
verb (used without object)
noun
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a reaction or recoil between interacting worn or badly fitting parts in a mechanism
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the play between parts
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a sudden and adverse reaction, esp to a political or social development
a public backlash against the government is inevitable
Etymology
Origin of backlash
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.
They moved out of Baldwin Park; one of his sons, fearing backlash, opted to be home schooled; and his youngest son, who is autistic, lost access to some needed school services.
From Los Angeles Times
Target has said it will stop selling breakfast cereals that are made with synthetic colours by the end of May, marking the latest response by a retailer to backlash against ultra-processed foods.
From BBC
But in 2024, the firm faced a backlash after revealing it would no longer hire new staff on the real living wage, instead paying the lower legal minimum wage.
From BBC
As the backlash against touch screen and virtualized controls gathered strength in the past decade, Mazdas became increasingly valued for their friendlier and more familiar driver’s environment.
The backlash was a bigger problem than his talent.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
