reverberate

American  

[ri-vur-buh-reyt, ri-vur-ber-it] / rɪˈvɜr bəˌreɪt, rɪˈvɜr bər ɪt /

verb (used without object)

reverberated, reverberating

1. to reecho or resound.

   Her singing reverberated through the house.

   Synonyms:

   vibrate, rebound, ring, carry

2. Physics. to be reflected many times, as sound waves from the walls of a confined space.

3. to rebound or recoil.

4. to be deflected, as flame in a reverberatory furnace.

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verb (used with object)

reverberated, reverberating

1. to echo back or reecho (sound).

2. to cast back or reflect (light, heat, etc.).

3. to subject to reflected heat, as in a reverberatory furnace.

adjective

1. reverberant.

reverberate British  

/ rɪˈvɜːbəˌreɪt /

verb

1. (intr) to resound or re-echo

   the explosion reverberated through the castle

2. to reflect or be reflected many times

3. (intr) to rebound or recoil

4. (intr) (of the flame or heat in a reverberatory furnace) to be deflected onto the metal or ore on the hearth

5. (tr) to heat, melt, or refine (a metal or ore) in a reverberatory furnace

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Other Word Forms

• reverberant
  adjective
• reverberantly
  adverb
• reverberation
  noun
• reverberative
  adjective
• reverberator
  noun
• unreverberated
  adjective
• unreverberating
  adjective
• unreverberative
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of reverberate

First recorded in 1540–50, reverberate is from the Latin word reverberātus (past participle of reverberāre to strike back). See reverberant, -ate ¹

Explanation

If you give a loud shout in a cavernous place, like a gym or a church, the sound of your voice will reverberate throughout the room. Reverberate means sound waves traveling back and forth, as in an echo. Often we use reverberate to talk about sound, or sometimes light. If a noise echoes for a long time, we can say the space reverberates with that noise. You may have heard of a reverb effect in audio processing, which is basically a long echo. We also use the word metaphorically to describe the impact of huge events. For example, the 2008 mortgage crisis in the U.S. reverberated throughout the world’s economy, causing a global recession.

Example Sentences

The legacy effects of the pandemic, Brexit and the 2008 financial crash continue to reverberate.

From BBC • May 5, 2026

Woods was a Black man—and he was preparing to make a claim that would reverberate through the highest corridors of American industry: that he had devised a way for moving trains to communicate wirelessly.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

From wars and revolutions to tech advances and trade, developments that play out on the global stage reverberate in the markets, affecting stocks, bonds, currencies, commodities, and more.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

Montiel, 62, said Chavez’s legacy continues to reverberate as the union has pushed for improved working conditions for people laboring in extreme heat, at times without adequate breaks or water.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026

Olanna gently placed a pillow beneath her head and sat thinking about how a single act could reverberate over time and space and leave stains that could never be washed off.

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Related Words

• echo
• resound