knock-on effect

noun

ˈnäk-ˌȯn- 

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

Over 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

Examples of knock-on effect in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But a significant contributor has been staffing shortages and their knock-on effects. — Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 20 Aug. 2026

His massive economic reforms and their poor implementation has had a knock-on effect on the price of just about everything, resulting in the country's worst economic hardship in a generation. — ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026

Madrid have shown no willingness to accept this condition, out of fear of creating a knock-on effect among the squad. — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 5 Aug. 2026

The knock-on effects are pushing consumers into different buying patterns. — Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1972, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for knock-on effect

• aftereffect
• interconnect
• affect
• aspect
• bedecked
• bisect
• collect
• connect
• correct
• deflect
• detect
• direct