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
If the shutdown continues, there may be another knock-on effect ahead of the holidays.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2025
Trump said on Friday, amid increasing pressure for the government shutdown to end, especially as Americans grow concerned over impacted SNAP benefits and other related knock-on effects.
—Callum Sutherland, Time, 3 Nov. 2025
In a recent profile in The New Yorker, Lawrence explained that since becoming a mother, she's had to change her relationship to the paparazzi, which has had the bonus knock-on effect of giving us plenty of street style inspo.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 28 Oct. 2025
The knock-on effects include a reward system that becomes imbalanced and a company that struggles to adapt its structure as needed.
—Josh Browning, Big Think, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for knock-on effect
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Dave Smith, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2025
Trump said on Friday, amid increasing pressure for the government shutdown to end, especially as Americans grow concerned over impacted SNAP benefits and other related knock-on effects.
—Callum Sutherland, Time, 3 Nov. 2025
In a recent profile in The New Yorker, Lawrence explained that since becoming a mother, she's had to change her relationship to the paparazzi, which has had the bonus knock-on effect of giving us plenty of street style inspo.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 28 Oct. 2025
The knock-on effects include a reward system that becomes imbalanced and a company that struggles to adapt its structure as needed.
—Josh Browning, Big Think, 28 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 10 Nov. 2025.
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