echo

noun (1)

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\ ˈe-(ˌ)kō

plural echoes also echos

Definition of echo

(Entry 1 of 4)

1a : the repetition of a sound caused by reflection of sound waves

b : the sound due to such reflection

2a : a repetition or imitation of another : reflection

b : repercussion, result

c : trace, vestige

d : response

3 : one who closely imitates or repeats another's words, ideas, or acts

4 : a soft repetition of a musical phrase

5a : the repetition of a received radio signal due especially to reflection of part of the wave from an ionized layer of the atmosphere

b(1) : the reflection of transmitted radar signals by an object

(2) : the visual indication of this reflection on a radarscope

echo

verb

echoed; echoing\ ˈe-(ˌ)kō-iŋ

, ˈe-kə-wiŋ \

Definition of echo (Entry 2 of 4)

intransitive verb

1 : to resound with echoes

2 : to produce an echo

transitive verb

1a : repeat, imitate children echoing their teacher's words

b : to restate in support or agreement his successor echoed his opinion

c : to be reminiscent of : evoke music that echoes an earlier time

2 : to send back (a sound) by the reflection of sound waves

Echo

noun (2)

\ ˈe-(ˌ)kō

Definition of Echo (Entry 3 of 4)

: a nymph in Greek mythology who pines away for love of Narcissus until nothing is left of her but her voice

Echo

communications code word

Definition of Echo (Entry 4 of 4)

—used as a code word for the letter e

Other Words from echo Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More About echo

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Examples of echo in a Sentence

Noun (1) We shouted into the canyon and listened to the echo of our voices. the echo of footsteps in the hall His work contains echoes of older and greater poets. The book's title is an echo of a line from an old folk song. The crime is a chilling echo of the murders that shocked the city two years ago. Verb The music echoed through the church. Laughter echoed across the lake. Their voices echoed in the hall. His warnings are echoed by many other experts in the field. “It's in Rome.” “In Rome?” she echoed. Others have echoed her criticisms. The book's title echoes a line from an old folk song. The crime echoes last year's shocking murders.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The expectation was that positions would grow more moderate as the users were exposed to voices outside their echo chambers. — Nathan Heller, The New Yorker, 28 June 2021 Push to think past areas of agreement to uncover diverse viewpoints, stretch beyond our own echo chambers and serve a broader set of constituents. — Sabina Nawaz, Forbes, 22 June 2021 The tyranny of the résumé has often meant that boardrooms and office demographics are echo chambers. — Brooke Baldwin, Fortune, 12 June 2021 There is more than a little echo of Bachelorette Emily Maynard Johnson’s Tragic Race Car Fiancé, happening here. — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 22 June 2021 In a city where streets bear the names of biblical prophets, what’s foretold is almost always an echo of the past. — Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2021 The nihilist humor in The KILL ONE Race finds its echo in Capricorn 29, Alex Hare and Julia Izumi’s digital play with music, co-produced by the Off–Off Broadway theater the Tank and the Post Theatrical festival. — Helen Shaw, Vulture, 8 June 2021 The flower of the giant coneflower, Rudbeckia maxima, consists of drooping yellow petals around a purple-brown cone — a clear echo of the blooms of other rudbeckias. — Adrian Higgins, Washington Post, 7 June 2021 Most poignant was a trumpet band member, Arnaud Carroll, who played a solo echo-Taps with Matt Wirfel, one of the trumpeters in the Honor Guard. — Linda Gandee, cleveland, 1 June 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The allegations echo the troubling legacy of racial discrimination at the historically white beach. — Tim Prudente, baltimoresun.com, 16 July 2021 Her experiences echo the often difficult work environments Black professors at Texas colleges have faced over the years. — Kalley Huang, Dallas News, 15 July 2021 No sound will echo for as long as that: the oppressive, overwhelming sound of a stadium, of a country, that had been dreaming, and now, started, had been awakened, brutally, into the cold light of day. — New York Times, 11 July 2021 Larger proportions echo a love for both form and functionality. — Bianca Salonga, Forbes, 5 July 2021 For many people, this year’s celebrations will echo the tunes of decades past: gatherings with music and friends and food and fireworks, all in honor of American freedoms and pride. — Washington Post, 2 July 2021 The shifts echo longstanding warnings from scholars and activists who pointed to cracks in Trump’s support among white Catholics and white non-evangelical Protestants as early as May 2019. — The Salt Lake Tribune, 2 July 2021 The lawsuit allegations echo her statements made to PEOPLE and complaints made by some of the other women who have come forward against the musician (real name: Brian Warner). — Tomás Mier, PEOPLE.com, 30 June 2021 The latest figures echo other government data showing that inflation is increasing at its fastest clip since 2008. — Kate Gibson, CBS News, 25 June 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'echo.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of echo

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1596, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun (2)

1595, in the meaning defined above

Communications code word

1952, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for echo

Noun (1)

Middle English ecco, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French echo, from Latin, from Greek ēchō; akin to Latin vagire to wail, Greek ēchē sound

Noun (2)

Greek Ēchō

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