domino effect

noun

plural domino effects
: a cumulative effect produced when one event initiates a succession of similar events compare ripple effect

Examples of domino effect in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Human Rights Watch warns that the U.S. decision could trigger a regional domino effect. Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 19 May 2025 In a hyperconnected world, a single system failure can have domino effects. Dan Drogman, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025 In Barrow, the closure of Debenhams and a Marks & Spencer department store seemed to sap the life out of the town center, setting off a domino effect that led to more shops closing. Eshe Nelson, New York Times, 12 May 2025 Within weeks of the order, the world’s largest bilateral development agency, USAID, functionally ceased to exist, and its destruction unleashed a domino effect. Zainab Usman, Foreign Affairs, 5 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for domino effect

Word History

First Known Use

1924, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of domino effect was in 1924

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Cite this Entry

“Domino effect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/domino%20effect. Accessed 29 May. 2025.

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