chain reaction

noun

1

a

: a series of events so related to each other that each one initiates the next

b

: a number of events triggered by the same initial event

2

: a self-sustaining chemical or nuclear reaction yielding energy or products that cause further reactions of the same kind

chain-react

ˈchān-rē-ˈakt 

intransitive verb

Examples of chain reaction in a Sentence

Increased oil prices could trigger a chain reaction in the economy.

Recent Examples on the Web

The computer simulations showed a chain reaction in which falling air pollution in China increased warming near the coast of Asia, which amplified a high-pressure system along the Pacific’s western edge. —Warren Cornwall, science.org, 6 May 2024

None of the drivers involved in the crash have been publicly identified, though police said a 22-year-old man was driving the Camaro that started the chain reaction. —Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 5 May 2024

In one 2019 incident, Iran shot down a U.S. Navy drone over the Strait of Hormuz, setting off a chain reaction inside the Pentagon and the White House that nearly resulted in U.S. retaliatory strikes against Iran. —Lauren Kahn, Foreign Affairs, 6 June 2023

In the 1770s and 1780s, the founders feared a three-step chain reaction that would begin with the secession of one or more states from the Union. —Eli Merritt, TIME, 4 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1892, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

chain reaction

noun

1

: a series of events so related to each other that each one sets the next one going

2

: a chemical or nuclear reaction producing energy or products that cause further reactions of the same kind

Medical Definition

chain reaction

noun

: a self-sustaining chemical or nuclear reaction yielding energy or products that cause further reactions of the same kind