echo

1 of 4

noun (1)

plural echoes also echos
1
a
: the repetition of a sound caused by reflection of sound waves
b
: the sound due to such reflection
2
a
: a repetition or imitation of another : reflection
c
d
3
: one who closely imitates or repeats another's words, ideas, or acts
4
: a soft repetition of a musical phrase
5
a
: 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
echoey adjective

echo

2 of 4

verb

echoed; echoing ˈe-(ˌ)kō-iŋ How to pronounce echo (audio)
ˈe-kə-wiŋ

intransitive verb

1
: to resound with echoes
2
: to produce an echo

transitive verb

1
a
: 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

3 of 4

noun (2)

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

Echo

4 of 4

communications code word

used as a code word for the letter e

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 horror movie tropes around The Seed of the Sacred Fig underscore a corrupt Iranian judicial system Amin has to navigate, and echoes of the real life youth protest movement in late 2022 after the death of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for refusing to wear a hijab. Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Oct. 2024 In Milton, Dworkin sees echoes of the Deep South protests in the 1950s – and the work of Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1960’s Chicago. Andrea Riquier, USA TODAY, 1 Oct. 2024
Verb
Bank of America echoed this optimism, forecasting a staggering $15.7 trillion stimulus from GenAI by 2030. Sylvain Duranton, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2024 Across the avenue, these outliers were echoed by a trio of Citroen Traction Avant sedans. Brett Berk, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for echo 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'echo.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of echo was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near echo

Cite this Entry

“Echo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/echo. Accessed 15 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

echo

1 of 2 noun
plural echoes
1
: the repeating of a sound caused by reflection of sound waves
2
a
: a repetition or imitation of another
b
: repercussion sense 2, result
environmental echoes of oil spills
3
: one who closely imitates or repeats another
echoic
i-ˈkō-ik
e-
adjective

echo

2 of 2 verb
echoed; echoing
1
: to be filled with echoes
the stadium echoed with cheers
2
: to produce an echo : send back or repeat a sound
shouts echoing off the wall
3
a
: repeat entry 1 sense 1c, imitate
echoing the teacher's words
b
: to state again in support or agreement
echoed his opinion

Medical Definition

echo

1 of 2 noun
plural echoes also echos
1
: the repetition of a sound that is caused by reflection of sound waves
2
: the sound that is due to reflection of sound waves
echo verb

echo

2 of 2 abbreviation

More from Merriam-Webster on echo

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!