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
Supply chain pains Raj Kandola from the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce said that suppliers and companies further down the chain are most vulnerable to the knock-on effects of the shutdown.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2025
Williams is expected to assess the extent of the damage and potential knock-on effects for the rest of the weekend once the car is back under the team’s control.
—Alex Harrington, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, the triumph of streaming has had its own knock-on effect.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 2 Oct. 2025
Höglander’s extended absence will have some significant knock-on effects, both in terms of Vancouver’s depth up front and in the numbers game as the Canucks work through final cut decisions this week.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for knock-on effect
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Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2025
Williams is expected to assess the extent of the damage and potential knock-on effects for the rest of the weekend once the car is back under the team’s control.
—Alex Harrington, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, the triumph of streaming has had its own knock-on effect.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 2 Oct. 2025
Höglander’s extended absence will have some significant knock-on effects, both in terms of Vancouver’s depth up front and in the numbers game as the Canucks work through final cut decisions this week.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
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 8 Oct. 2025.
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