cas·cade
(ˌ)kas-ˈkād 
1
: a steep usually small fall of water
especially
: one of a series
2
a
: something arranged or occurring in a series or in a succession of stages so that each stage derives from or acts upon the product of the preceding
blood clotting involves a biochemical cascade
b
: a fall of material (such as lace) that hangs in a zigzag line and that is used especially in clothing and draperies
3
: something falling or rushing forth in quantity
a cascade of sound
a cascade of events
Her hair was arranged in a cascade of curls.
cascaded; cascading
: to fall, pour, or rush in or as if in a cascade
The water cascaded over the rocks.
Her hair cascaded down around her shoulders.
Synonyms
Examples of cascade in a Sentence
Noun
Her hair was arranged in a cascade of curls.
That decision set off a cascade of events.
Verb
The water cascades over the rocks.
Her hair cascaded down around her shoulders.
Recent Examples on the Web
Hedy Phillips, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
The stock shot up 15% in the final hour of trading Wednesday amid a cascade of media reports that Redstone, National Amusements Inc. and Skydance are moving closer to a deal.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024
Resistance exercise also stimulates a cascade of growth signals that prompt muscle fibers to reinforce themselves, capillaries to expand the muscle’s blood supply, and DNA to make more proteins.
—Donavyn Coffey, TIME, 1 Apr. 2024
The show’s centerpiece is a triptych that shifts as usual from red to yellow to blue, but the colors are cascades of drips deepened by blacks and brightened by flashes of white.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
Each musician excels, of course, with Warren’s various effects and young Henry’s cascades and burbles giving ear-catching twists.
—Steve Hochman, SPIN, 8 Mar. 2024
With an eye toward use outside the laboratory, researchers have been enhancing their sources in other ways, too, including improved packaging for photonic devices and lasers and higher-temperature operation for quantum cascade lasers.
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 Mar. 2024
Some apoptotic factors, such as caspases in animals, can activate each other in a cascade of startling swiftness that becomes a swarm and cuts the cell’s structures to ribbons.
—Quanta Magazine, 6 Mar. 2024
Tables overflowed with a cascade of sweet-smelling white flowers and candles.
—Elizabeth Taylor, Variety, 15 Feb. 2024
Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 11 Apr. 2024
The report includes interviews with victims and tax experts who described the cascading misfortune faced by retirees from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, Utah and California.
—Michael Laris, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
This drives survivors who lack resources into an unaffordable rental market, setting off a series of cascading problems.
—Lauren Cattaneo, The Conversation, 11 Apr. 2024
When police stop Black and brown individuals more frequently, this leads to a cascading chain of events.
—Pamela Appea, Parents, 7 Apr. 2024
But pushback against major new data centers has been growing everywhere from Ireland to West Virginia in recent years, and the cascading requirements of new AI models are only amplifying that resistance.
—David Meyer, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
Adoring fans nicknamed Reese the Bayou Barbie—a wink to her signature long lashes, cascading hairstyles, bold manicures, and unapologetic love of fashion.
—Leah Faye Cooper, Vogue, 3 Apr. 2024
Meghan wore a silk chiffon white shirt dress with a cascading floral pattern, which fan blogs identified as an Oscar de la Renta ensemble that was already in her closet.
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024
At the 11-minute mark, Hancock jumped from avant-garde synth stabs to elegant, note cascading runs on the baby grand.
—Journal Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2024
Noun
The Ghost star let her long black hair cascade in waves, and the rest of her glam included a dark metallic smokey eye and dark nude lipgloss.
—Hedy Phillips, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
The stock shot up 15% in the final hour of trading Wednesday amid a cascade of media reports that Redstone, National Amusements Inc. and Skydance are moving closer to a deal.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024
Resistance exercise also stimulates a cascade of growth signals that prompt muscle fibers to reinforce themselves, capillaries to expand the muscle’s blood supply, and DNA to make more proteins.
—Donavyn Coffey, TIME, 1 Apr. 2024
The show’s centerpiece is a triptych that shifts as usual from red to yellow to blue, but the colors are cascades of drips deepened by blacks and brightened by flashes of white.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
Each musician excels, of course, with Warren’s various effects and young Henry’s cascades and burbles giving ear-catching twists.
—Steve Hochman, SPIN, 8 Mar. 2024
With an eye toward use outside the laboratory, researchers have been enhancing their sources in other ways, too, including improved packaging for photonic devices and lasers and higher-temperature operation for quantum cascade lasers.
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 Mar. 2024
Some apoptotic factors, such as caspases in animals, can activate each other in a cascade of startling swiftness that becomes a swarm and cuts the cell’s structures to ribbons.
—Quanta Magazine, 6 Mar. 2024
Tables overflowed with a cascade of sweet-smelling white flowers and candles.
—Elizabeth Taylor, Variety, 15 Feb. 2024
Verb
But the canal’s upgrades can’t keep up with climate change’s cascading effects.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 11 Apr. 2024
The report includes interviews with victims and tax experts who described the cascading misfortune faced by retirees from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, Utah and California.
—Michael Laris, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
This drives survivors who lack resources into an unaffordable rental market, setting off a series of cascading problems.
—Lauren Cattaneo, The Conversation, 11 Apr. 2024
When police stop Black and brown individuals more frequently, this leads to a cascading chain of events.
—Pamela Appea, Parents, 7 Apr. 2024
But pushback against major new data centers has been growing everywhere from Ireland to West Virginia in recent years, and the cascading requirements of new AI models are only amplifying that resistance.
—David Meyer, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
Adoring fans nicknamed Reese the Bayou Barbie—a wink to her signature long lashes, cascading hairstyles, bold manicures, and unapologetic love of fashion.
—Leah Faye Cooper, Vogue, 3 Apr. 2024
Meghan wore a silk chiffon white shirt dress with a cascading floral pattern, which fan blogs identified as an Oscar de la Renta ensemble that was already in her closet.
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024
At the 11-minute mark, Hancock jumped from avant-garde synth stabs to elegant, note cascading runs on the baby grand.
—Journal Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cascade.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near cascade
Cite this Entry
“Cascade.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cascade. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cascade
1 of 2 noun
cas·cade
kas-ˈkād
: a steep usually small waterfall
cascade
2 of 2 verb
cascaded; cascading
: to fall in or as if in a cascade
Medical Definition
cascade
noun
cas·cade
(ˌ)kas-ˈkād
: a molecular, biochemical, or physiological process occurring in a succession of stages each of which is closely related to or depends on the output of the previous stage
a cascade of enzymatic reactions
the cascade of events comprising the immune response
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