redound

verb

re·​dound ri-ˈdau̇nd 

redounded; redounding; redounds

intransitive verb

1

archaic : to become swollen : overflow

2

: to have an effect for good or ill

new power alignments which may or may not redound to the faculty's benefit

—G. W. Bonham

3

: to become transferred or added : accrue

4

: rebound, reflect

Did you know?

A rising tide, as they say, lifts all boats. Or to be redundant: a redounding tide undulates such that the surrounding water elevates every pontoon. This latter sentence—in addition to featuring five words with some relationship to the Latin word for “wave,” unda (redundant, redound, undulate, surround, and water)—highlights the earliest and now-archaic meaning of redound, “to swell or overflow,” which entered English in the 14th century. Since then, additional uses of redound have abounded (abound being another unda relation), all containing ripples, however faint, of the original aqueous meaning. When an action or accomplishment redounds to someone’s credit or honor, for example, it reflects positively back on them the way a wave produced by someone jumping into a pool bounces back to the jumper. And when something redounds to someone’s advantage, one might say that it helps by accruing like, well, a rising tide.

Examples of redound in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The symbolic optics of engaging productively on this issue would redound to both countries’ benefit, in portraying both as leaders within the international order. —Nathan Levine, Foreign Affairs, 16 Mar. 2021

In fact, the largest turnout increase in the state — a 10 percent boost in South Jersey's swingy Gloucester County — seemed to redound to Democrats' advantage. —Tia Yang, ABC News, 21 Dec. 2023

Manchin's retirement could redound to Republicans' benefit in those races, too. —Nathaniel Rakich, ABC News, 10 Nov. 2023

What’s interesting about these and other radical acts of the Roberts Court, though, is that Democrats have watched the political fallout redound to their benefit. —Jason Linkins, The New Republic, 6 Oct. 2023

But congressional aides and experts on both sides of the aisle say a shutdown is likely to redound to the White House’s political benefit, particularly as the GOP House is consumed in a fierce internal battle. —Jeff Stein, Washington Post, 21 Sep. 2023

Yes, the world is stacked against us, but our collective susceptibility to dumb diets and quick fixes doesn’t redound to our credit. —Tamar Haspel, Anchorage Daily News, 1 July 2023

Likewise, the rules that the government establishes for economic actors are designed to facilitate competition that will redound to the benefit of all. —Oren Cass, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2021

But the economic and political ripple effects of the war soon redounded to the energy giants’ benefit. —Kate Aronoff, The New Republic, 14 Apr. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French redunder, from Latin redundare, from re-, red- re- + unda wave — more at water

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing redound

• redound to someone's credit/honor
• redound to the advantage of

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

redound

verb

re·​dound ri-ˈdau̇nd 

: to have a result for good or bad