ricochet
Americannoun
verb (used without object)
verb
noun
-
the motion or sound of a rebounding object, esp a bullet
-
an object, esp a bullet, that ricochets
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
ricochetsimple
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ricochetssimple
-
have ricochetedperfect
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have ricochettedperfect
-
has ricochetedperfect
-
has ricochettedperfect
-
am ricochetingprogressive
-
am ricochettingprogressive
-
are ricochetingprogressive
-
are ricochettingprogressive
-
is ricochetingprogressive
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is ricochettingprogressive
-
have been ricochetingperfect progressive
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have been ricochettingperfect progressive
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has been ricochetingperfect progressive
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has been ricochettingperfect progressive
Past
-
ricochetedsimple
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ricochettedsimple
-
had ricochetedperfect
-
had ricochettedperfect
-
was ricochetingprogressive
-
was ricochettingprogressive
-
were ricochetingprogressive
-
were ricochettingprogressive
-
had been ricochetingperfect progressive
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had been ricochettingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of ricochet
First recorded in 1760–70; from French; further origin uncertain
Explanation
A projectile that bounces off another surface is said to ricochet. You missed when you threw your crumpled paper at the wastepaper basket. Instead, the paper ricocheted off the wall and hit your brother on the head. The battle was on! As a noun, ricochet refers to the rebound or to the object that ricochets. If someone shoots a bullet and it ricochets off a tree, you can survive the initial gunfire only to be caught by the ricochet. The word ricochet is from the French word of the same spelling. Because of its French origin, the word is still pronounced with the soft French "shay" sound at the end — not a hard "T."
Vocabulary lists containing ricochet
Touching Spirit Bear
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The Skin I'm In
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Code Talker
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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.
See Examples For:
Engineers said they were able to debunk some "myths", including that bullets can ricochet off the curve in the ballistic plate.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
That means any deteriorating credit backdrop, a pickup in credit losses or higher yields still could ricochet through private credit or other publicly traded funds.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
Ms. Frank’s unconventional, imaginatively orchestrated score maps their dreamlike journey as they ricochet through different planes of existence, and find resolution together in their love and their art.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
The court ruling was the latest legal move to ricochet through the interoceanic waterway, which handles about 40 percent of US container traffic and five percent of world trade.
From Barron's ● Feb. 23, 2026
Before I catch myself, my eyes ricochet like pin balls, bounding from John-John McIntyre’s beady brown eyes right up to hers.
From "The Skin I'm In" by Sharon G. Flake
"Is anyone alive in here?!" the voice of Moises Faramaya ricochets around the ruins of the same neighborhood.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
In her refusal to shy away from the grime and grit of Yuknavitch’s story, Stewart creates a startlingly raw atmosphere that ricochets between discordant and truly inspiring.
From Salon ● Jan. 1, 2026
The book ricochets back and forth in time, with such section headings as “Twelve Days Before the Robbery” and “Thirteen Years Earlier.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025
There's almost a Ben Stokes World Cup final 2019 moment, as Sciver-Brunt comes back for the second and the throw in from the fielder ricochets off her bat.
From BBC ● May 16, 2024
Fives is possibly the fastest ball-game on earth, far faster than squash, and the little ball ricochets around the court at such a speed that sometimes you can hardly see it.
From "Boy: Tales of a Childhood" by Roald Dahl
The Monroe appearance then ricocheted across the internet with the kind of viral intensity traditional late-night television has not generated in years.
From Salon ● May 27, 2026
During Pages’ at-bat, a pitch ricocheted off Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe’s left hand.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 16, 2026
Video of the incident—played in court—had already ricocheted across the internet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
After pulling his tee shot towards the trees, Fitzpatrick's ball struck a cart path, ricocheted back on to the green, and was only prevented from trickling into the water by a well-positioned sprinkler head.
From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2026
The water shot harder against the aft deck and ricocheted to stern.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
“It touched the roof, ricochetted off, and burst away behind.”
From With Rifle and Bayonet A Story of the Boer War by Brereton, F. S. (Frederick Sadleir)
The shot struck the water about sixty or seventy fathoms from the frigate, ricochetted, and appeared to pass over her, for presently we saw the water spout up again well to starboard of the vessel.
From The Log of a Privateersman by Rainey, W. (William)
The bits of ice flew up smartly, and the ball must have ricochetted; for we saw the ice fly up again quite near the bear, and then at another point beyond him.
From Left on Labrador or, The cruise of the Schooner-yacht 'Curlew.' as Recorded by 'Wash.' by Stephens, C. A. (Charles Asbury)
It ricochetted and struck again half a mile outside.
From The Boys of '98 by Otis, James
Others, striking the earth with a dull thud, ricochetted within a few inches of his feet.
From Wilmshurst of the Frontier Force by Prater, Ernest
Because helium’s industrial uses are so broad, shortages are ricocheting through multiple sectors and countries at once.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026
Their motion resembles a pinball ricocheting between stationary posts.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 17, 2025
Another defensive mess in the second half resulted in Dane Murray's attempted clearance ricocheting off Gabri Martinez and into the back of the net.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2025
With stocks falling and economists predicting price hikes across a broad range of imported goods, there are plenty of anxious questions ricocheting in supermarket aisles these days.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2025
Her mouth is open and her head shakes slightly, like my words are ricocheting around inside.
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
Shells from the Turkish defences were ricochetting all around the British warships or expending themselves harmlessly against the armoured plating.
From The Fight for Constantinople A Story of the Gallipoli Peninsula by Westerman, Percy F. (Percy Francis)
Many glanced, spun ricochetting into the sea, and with a venomous buzzing like huge, angry hornets, lost themselves in quick, white spurts of foam.
From The Flying Legion by England, George Allan
These came down past us like cannon-balls, ricochetting by big bounds.
From Noto: an Unexplained Corner of Japan by Lowell, Percival
Several couples cannoned off James and went ricochetting to the farther end of the room, and one went down.
From The Island of Gold A Sailor's Yarn by Stables, Gordon
Just as we were turning the face of Screen cliff a sound of singing reached us, ricochetting over the water.
From Noto: an Unexplained Corner of Japan by Lowell, Percival
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.
