ripple

¹ American  

[rip-uhl] / ˈrɪp əl /

verb (used without object)

rippled, rippling

1. (of a liquid surface) to form small waves or undulations, as water agitated by a breeze.

   Synonyms:

   purl, undulate, wave

2. to flow with a light rise and fall or ruffling of the surface.

3. (of a solid surface) to form or have small undulations, ruffles, or folds.

4. (of sound) to undulate or rise and fall in tone, inflection, or magnitude.

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verb (used with object)

rippled, rippling

1. to form small waves or undulations on; agitate lightly.

   Synonyms:

   dimple, curl, ruffle

2. to mark as if with ripples; give a wavy form to.

noun

1. a small wave or undulation, as on water.

   Synonyms:

   ruffle, wavelet

2. any similar movement or appearance; a small undulation or wave, as in hair.

3. a small rapid.

4. Geology. ripple mark.

5. a sound, as of water flowing in ripples.

   a ripple of laughter.

ripple ² American  

[rip-uhl] / ˈrɪp əl /

noun

1. a toothed or comblike device for removing seeds or capsules from flax, hemp, etc.

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verb (used with object)

rippled, rippling

1. to remove the seeds or capsules from (flax or hemp) with a ripple.

ripple ¹ British  

/ ˈrɪpəl /

noun

1. a slight wave or undulation on the surface of water

2. a small wave or undulation in fabric, hair, etc

3. a sound reminiscent of water flowing quietly in ripples

   a ripple of laughter

4. electronics an oscillation of small amplitude superimposed on a steady value

5. another word for riffle

6. another word for ripple mark

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verb

1. (intr) to form ripples or flow with a rippling or undulating motion

2. (tr) to stir up (water) so as to form ripples

3. (tr) to make ripple marks

4. (intr) (of sounds) to rise and fall gently

   her laughter rippled through the air

ripple ² British  

/ ˈrɪpəl /

noun

1. a special kind of comb designed to separate the seed from the stalks in flax, hemp, or broomcorn

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verb

1. (tr) to comb with this tool

Usage

What does ripple mean? A ripple is a small wave, ruffle, or wrinkle on the surface of something, such as water, fabric, clouds, or hair. A raindrop causes ripples in a puddle. A soft gust of wind can cause ripples on the surface of a lake, on the surface of a sheet hanging from a clothesline, or through the tall grasses in the meadow. Ripples aren’t typically breaks in the surface where they appear—they are disturbances that change its shape momentarily. The word can also be applied to waves or wrinkles involving intangible or abstract things, such as ripples of cause and effect. Much like the ripples that result from tossing a stone into a pond, one action causes many other things to happen in a kind of chain reaction known as a ripple effect. Ripple can also refer to a cascading sound, like that of rippling water, as in a ripple of laughter. More specifically, ripple can refer to a swirl of a particular ingredient in ice cream, such as caramel or chocolate. There are even some flavors whose name indicates what the ripple consists of, such as butterscotch ripple.  Ripple is also used as a verb meaning to form or cause such waves, ruffles, or wrinkles, as in The wind rippled the surface of the river. It can also mean to gently flow or rise and fall. Things with ripples in them can be described as rippled or ripply. Example: I like to throw rocks into the still pond and see how far the ripples extend out.

Synonym Usage

See wave.

Other Word Forms

• rippler
  noun
• rippleless
  adjective
• rippling
  adjective
• ripply
  adjective
• ripplingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of ripple¹

First recorded in 1610–20; origin uncertain

Origin of ripple²

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English; cognate with West Frisian ripel, Dutch repel, German Riffel

Explanation

A ripple is a small wave on the surface of something, such as a ripple that forms a ring around the spot where you threw a pebble into the pond. Ripple can also be a verb. For example, you might see raindrops ripple on top of a puddle. Ripple was first used in the 1670s to describe something that causes a ruffled surface, sort of like how water seems to momentarily gain texture as it's stirred. Ripple later came to describe a very small wave, but you've probably heard of the "ripple effect" in which tiny waves spread, setting off more and more waves.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ripple rippled rippling

“There are so many ripple effects once somebody is detained, and we’re really feeling it in L.A.,”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026

They unpack David Ellison’s calculus, the potential ripple effects, and more.

From Slate ● Oct. 10, 2026

The heat released into the atmosphere by the very warm seas in the eastern tropical Pacific has weather impacts that ripple across the globe.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

Renewed reluctance to fly with U.A.E.-based carriers or visit the emirate could ripple through already strained hotels, restaurants and retailers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

Her dress was so silky, it seemed to ripple, as if the cloth were ink spilling off her shoulders.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

Recent calls from artificial-intelligence leaders to slow the technology’s development have rippled through the stock market — and Wall Street’s early reactions may be misguided.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

Across the country, the threat rippled from group chats and social gatherings to the corridors of power.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026

The emotion has rippled through her inner circle.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

The renewed clashes between the U.S. and Iran also rippled through precious metals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

The air around the three older witches rippled like water, and suddenly they looked like completely different witches.

From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega

The effects are rippling into the broader global economy, and the pain is acutely felt at truck stops like the Flying J in Orange, Texas, where diesel hovered around $6.26 a gallon on Thursday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

It was based on the profile picture of the couple’s shared Facebook account, but Walters had swapped out palm trees for three Christian crosses and the American flag rippling in the breeze.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

A major clinical-trial failure last week is rippling across biopharma stocks on Tuesday morning, showing yet again how risky it is to invest in drug development.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026

Meanwhile, the fallout from James Frey’s blockbuster memoir A Million Little Pieces, after he was accused of fabricating elements of his life story, was rippling through the industry.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

“Mr. Bomboloni?” said Jenny, her muscles rippling as she squeezed the steering wheel hard.

From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein