ripple effect

American

noun

a spreading effect or series of consequences caused by a single action or event.

ripple effect British

noun

the repercussions of an event or situation experienced far beyond its immediate location

"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

Etymology

Origin of ripple effect

First recorded in 1965–70

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:

ripple effect

“There’s this ripple effect that is gonna be a huge loss for all our communities,” said Grissom.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

Those needs have expanded “beyond core technology and infrastructure, energy and data centers, generating a ripple effect across industries,” Goldman CEO David Solomon said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

This ripple effect of such constitutional arguments also came to light in U.S. v.

From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2026

Yates doesn’t believe Princeton’s decision will have a ripple effect.

From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026

“I just want to complete my original mission. That ripple effect he’s so worried about”—he pointed at JB jeeringly—“pah! You won’t even feel it!”

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023