domino effect

American  

noun

domino effects plural

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

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domino effect British  

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• domino effects
  plural

Etymology

Origin of domino effect

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

As for changes to the EU itself, what's fascinating is that in 2016, after the UK's Brexit vote, there was widespread prediction of a "domino effect".

From BBC • Jun. 22, 2026

This has created “a domino effect that also strains hospitals and other care settings.”

From MarketWatch • May 5, 2026

According to Macquarie analysts, a few weeks of Hormuz closure “will create a domino effect of events that could push crude to $150 or higher.”

From Barron's • Mar. 9, 2026

There is also a domino effect to estrangements.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 11, 2026

Stack collapses weren’t that uncommon, and if the scaffold supports buckled at the wrong angle, the domino effect could bring down four or five of the neighboring stacks too.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline