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

Plus, the dramatic drop in blood glucose and insulin that can come with eating fewer carbs has knock-on effects for the liver. — Stephanie Anderson Witmer, HEALTH, 28 Sep. 2026

The flood also has had knock-on effects, including panic buying of food, disrupted supply chains for food and other items, and staffing problems at various enterprises whose employees were unable to get to their jobs. — ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026

Many bees are used at avocado farms in Queensland to pollinate the crops, so the thefts could have a knock-on effect on other food production. — Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 27 Sep. 2026

There have also been notable knock-on effects on energy security and affordability, directly affecting the transition to more sustainable systems. — Johannes Teyssen, Fortune, 23 Sep. 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