plural knock-on effects
chiefly British
: an indirect or secondary effect
The heat wave has had critical knock-on effects. Surging electricity demand and stress on the power grid triggered power outages …—
Umair Irfan
Umair IrfanOver the past 12 months, asking prices [for houses] have gone up by 9.5%. This has a knock-on effect for renters. UK rents rose by 8.3% in the last three months …—theguardian.com (London)
compare domino effect, ripple effect
theguardian.com (London)Examples of knock-on effect in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That means the economic consequences of the war – higher energy costs and their varied knock-on effects – are likely to well outlast the fighting.
—Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2026
Most Gulf output is sold overseas and the regional crisis is having a knock-on effect globally.
—Dominic Dudley, semafor.com, 2 Apr. 2026
Societies with high percentages of young people, both under 15 or in places with a youth bulge, can have other serious global knock-on effects.
—John Rennie Short, The Conversation, 31 Mar. 2026
The concern is that beyond immediate knock-on effects from rising gasoline prices, the war’s disruption could come in waves — ones that will play out over weeks and months and leave few parts of the global economy untouched.
—Rob Wile, NBC news, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for knock-on effect
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Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2026
Most Gulf output is sold overseas and the regional crisis is having a knock-on effect globally.
—Dominic Dudley, semafor.com, 2 Apr. 2026
Societies with high percentages of young people, both under 15 or in places with a youth bulge, can have other serious global knock-on effects.
—John Rennie Short, The Conversation, 31 Mar. 2026
The concern is that beyond immediate knock-on effects from rising gasoline prices, the war’s disruption could come in waves — ones that will play out over weeks and months and leave few parts of the global economy untouched.
—Rob Wile, NBC news, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for knock-on effect
Cite this Entry
“Knock-on effect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/knock-on%20effect. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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