backlash
[ bak-lash ]
/ ˈbækˌlæʃ /
noun
a sudden, forceful backward movement; recoil.
a strong or violent reaction, as to some social or political change: a backlash of angry feeling among Southern conservatives within the party.
Machinery.
- 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.
- play or lost motion between loosely fitting machine parts.
Angling. a snarled line on a reel, usually caused by a faulty cast.
verb (used without object)
to make or undergo a backlash.
RELATED CONTENT
RELATED WORDS
fail, flop, bump, rebound, bound, ricochet, jump, leap, hop, carom, recoil, disappoint, boomerang, miscarry, backlash, return, reverse, react, buck, jounce
Nearby words
- backie,
- backing,
- backing dog,
- backing light,
- backing store,
- backless,
- backlight,
- backlighting,
- backlins,
- backlist
Origin of backlash
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for backlashed
It was though his fingers carried a galvanic current that backlashed up his arm even as it stiffened hers.
The Lani People|J. F. Bone
backlash
/ (ˈbækˌlæʃ) /
noun
a reaction or recoil between interacting worn or badly fitting parts in a mechanism
the play between parts
a sudden and adverse reaction, esp to a political or social developmenta public backlash against the government is inevitable
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
backlash
1815, of machinery, from back (adj.) + lash (n.). In metaphoric sense, it is attested from 1955.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper