reverberate

verb

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re·ver·ber·ate | \ ri-ˈvər-bə-ˌrāt

reverberated; reverberating

Definition of reverberate

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : reflect

2 : repel

3 : echo

intransitive verb

1a : to become driven back

b : to become reflected

2 : to continue in or as if in a series of echoes : resound a historic event that still reverberates today

reverberate

adjective

re·ver·ber·ate | \ ri-ˈvər-b(ə-)rət

Definition of reverberate (Entry 2 of 2)

: reverberant

Synonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about reverberate

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Synonyms for reverberate

Synonyms: Verb

Did You Know?

Verb

The letter sequence "v-e-r-b" in reverberate might make you think at first of such word-related brethren as proverb, verbal, and verbose, all of which derive from the Latin noun verbum, meaning "word." In fact, reverberate comes from a much different source: the Latin verb verberare, meaning "to whip, beat, or lash," which is related to the noun verber, meaning "rod." Reverberate entered the English language in the 15th century, and one of its early meanings was "to beat, drive, or cast back." By the early 1600s it began to appear in contexts associated with sound that repeats or returns the way an echo does.

Examples of reverberate in a Sentence

Verb the sound of thunder reverberated from one end of the mountain pass to the other

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Even so, the bone-jarring, rim-rattling force seemed to reverberate through the television set. — Jeff Mcdonald, San Antonio Express-News, "As an old record falls, DeMar DeRozan continues with his San Antonio Spurs second act," 5 Feb. 2021 And that stimulus effect would reverberate widely, since those sellers hire workers and purchase consumer goods throughout the country. — Zephyr Teachout, The New Republic, "A Blueprint for a Trust-Busting Biden Presidency," 18 Dec. 2020 The effects of those early months still reverberate among the immigrant workers who lost their jobs and got sick at alarming rates. — David Gonzalez, New York Times, "No Papers, No Jobs: The New Street Vendors of Queens," 16 Nov. 2020 The controversy over that decision is certain to reverberate for some time to come. — David Meyer, Fortune, "The great digital acceleration," 14 Jan. 2021 In this brave story of rupture and resilience, Owusu explores the ways trauma and history reverberate across generations. — Vulture Editors, Vulture, "25 Notable New Releases Over the Next Two Weeks," 4 Jan. 2021 Instead of winking pastiche, the series presented surprisingly rich characters and themes — bullying, toxic masculinity, how past choices reverberate — plus some REO Speedwagon needle drops. — New York Times, "‘Cobra Kai’: Strike First. Strike Hard. Come Back for More.," 3 Jan. 2021 And a presidential election outcome that saw a sitting president and his allies attempt to foment an alternate reality in a way that's likely to reverberate across political systems for years to come. — Patrick Condon, Star Tribune, "Disruption defined Minnesota's year in politics," 26 Dec. 2020 The impact of these losses will reverberate long after the pandemic recedes, experts say. — Anna Kuchment, Dallas News, "COVID’s ‘untold story’: Texas Blacks and Latinos are dying in the prime of their lives," 19 Dec. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'reverberate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.