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domino effect

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noun
  1. the cumulative effect that results when one event precipitates a series of like events.
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Origin of domino effect

First recorded in 1965–70
Also called domino reaction.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

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British Dictionary definitions for domino effect

domino effect

noun
  1. a series of similar or related events occurring as a direct and inevitable result of one initial event
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Word Origin

C20: alluding to a row of dominoes, each standing on end, all of which fall when one is pushed: originally used with reference to possible Communist takeovers of countries in SE Asia
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