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
Poor bone health is just one knock-on effect.
—George Ramsay, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2025
This could also have a knock-on effect on insurance and film finance.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 16 Oct. 2025
At the same time, most Americans express concern about the knock-on effects of the shutdown, including on the economy, the military and federal employees.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 6 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
See All Example Sentences for knock-on effect
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
George Ramsay, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2025
This could also have a knock-on effect on insurance and film finance.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 16 Oct. 2025
At the same time, most Americans express concern about the knock-on effects of the shutdown, including on the economy, the military and federal employees.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 6 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
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 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share