ricochet
[ rik-uh-shey, rik-uh-shey or, especially British, rik-uh-shet ]
/ ˌrɪk əˈʃeɪ, ˈrɪk əˌʃeɪ or, especially British, ˈrɪk əˌʃɛt /
Save This Word!
noun
the motion of an object or a projectile in rebounding or deflecting one or more times from the surface over which it is passing or against which it hits a glancing blow.
verb (used without object), ric·o·cheted [rik-uh-sheyd, rik-uh-sheyd], /ˌrɪk əˈʃeɪd, ˈrɪk əˌʃeɪd/, ric·o·chet·ing [rik-uh-shey-ing, rik-uh-shey-ing] /ˌrɪk əˈʃeɪ ɪŋ, ˈrɪk əˌʃeɪ ɪŋ/ or (especially British) ric·o·chet·ted [rik-uh-shet-id], /ˈrɪk əˌʃɛt ɪd/, ric·o·chet·ting [rik-uh-shet-ing]. /ˈrɪk əˌʃɛt ɪŋ/.
to move in this way, as a projectile.
QUIZ
QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!
In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”
Question 1 of 7
The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.
Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing
Origin of ricochet
1760–70; <French; origin uncertain
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use ricochet in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for ricochet
ricochet
/ (ˈrɪkəˌʃeɪ, ˈrɪkəˌʃɛt) /
verb -chets, -cheting (-ˌʃeɪɪŋ), -cheted (-ˌʃeɪd), -chets, -chetting (-ˌʃɛtɪŋ) or -chetted (-ˌʃɛtɪd)
(intr) (esp of a bullet) to rebound from a surface or surfaces, usually with a characteristic whining or zipping sound
noun
the motion or sound of a rebounding object, esp a bullet
an object, esp a bullet, that ricochets
Word Origin for ricochet
C18: from French, of unknown origin
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