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
This has had a knock-on effect on their ability to raise funds and spend on new acquisitions.
—Michelle F. Davis, Fortune, 15 Dec. 2025
Western Mediterranean ports like Barcelona have dealt with congestion at several points over the past two years due to knock-on effects from the Red Sea crisis, which caused ships to take longer to travel from Asia to Europe and resulted in mass vessel bunching and scheduling shifts.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 15 Dec. 2025
That may have a knock-on effect on atmosphere at games across Mexico, USA and Canada next year.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 12 Dec. 2025
The knock-on effect was that all three of the night’s acting winners — Sope Dirisu of the British/Nigerian film My Father’s Shadow, Wunmi Mosaku of Sinners, and Guinean newcomer Abou Sangaré of the French film Souleymane’s Story — were not there to accept their awards.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
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Michelle F. Davis, Fortune, 15 Dec. 2025
Western Mediterranean ports like Barcelona have dealt with congestion at several points over the past two years due to knock-on effects from the Red Sea crisis, which caused ships to take longer to travel from Asia to Europe and resulted in mass vessel bunching and scheduling shifts.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 15 Dec. 2025
That may have a knock-on effect on atmosphere at games across Mexico, USA and Canada next year.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 12 Dec. 2025
The knock-on effect was that all three of the night’s acting winners — Sope Dirisu of the British/Nigerian film My Father’s Shadow, Wunmi Mosaku of Sinners, and Guinean newcomer Abou Sangaré of the French film Souleymane’s Story — were not there to accept their awards.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 2 Dec. 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 28 Dec. 2025.
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