reverberate

1 of 2

verb

re·​ver·​ber·​ate ri-ˈvər-bə-ˌrāt 

reverberated; reverberating

transitive verb

1

: reflect

2

: repel

a mirror reverberating glaring light

3

: echo

intransitive verb

1

a

: to become driven back

b

: to become reflected

2

: to continue in or as if in a series of echoes : resound

The room reverberated with laughter.

a historic event that still reverberates today

reverberate

2 of 2

adjective

re·​ver·​ber·​ate ri-ˈvər-b(ə-)rət 

: reverberant

Did you know?

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.

Synonyms of reverberate

Verb

• echo

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

Manufacturing delays reverberating from the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic led to the slow progress on the makeover of the ride that closed in January 2022. — Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 6 Aug. 2026

In June, in a move that reverberated through the tech industry, Apple raised prices across nearly all of its product lines in response to the surging costs of memory and storage, which are being gobbled up for AI infrastructure. — Mark Yarm, PC Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026

News of the attacks, which initially went unnoticed, is reverberating across Silicon Valley and Washington amid debates over how to address the advanced cybercapabilities of AI. — Huo Jingnan, NPR, 1 Aug. 2026

The chaos in Ceuta and nearby Melilla reverberates across Europe, fueling political attacks on Spain’s migration policies and prompting Italy and France to threaten tougher border measures. — Sergio Rodrigo Ruíz, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Latin reverberatus, past participle of reverberare, from re- + verberare to lash, from verber rod — more at vervain

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Adjective

1603, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

reverberate

verb

re·​ver·​ber·​ate

ri-ˈvər-bə-ˌrāt

reverberated; reverberating

: to continue in or as if in a series of echoes

reverberation

-ˌvər-bə-ˈrā-shən

noun