ricochet
verb
ricocheted
ˈri-kə-ˌshād 
also ricochetted
ˈri-kə-ˌshe-təd
; ricocheting
ˈri-kə-ˌshā-iŋ
also ricochetting
ˈri-kə-ˌshe-tiŋ
also ricochetted
ˈri-kə-ˌshe-təd
; ricocheting
ˈri-kə-ˌshā-iŋ
also ricochetting
ˈri-kə-ˌshe-tiŋ
: to bounce or skip with or as if with a glancing rebound
… fired a shot and watched the puck ricochet off Ellett's left skate …—
Austin Murphy
Austin MurphyThe bullet that hit President Reagan had ricocheted off the presidential limousine.—David Fisher
David FisherThe ball ricochets at a right angle, falling with force into the first baseman's glove …—Bob Drury
Bob DruryThe chute snaps open, the sound ricocheting through the gorge like a gunshot, and McGuire is soaring, carving S turns into the air, swooping over a winding creek.—Karl Taro Greenfeld
Karl Taro GreenfeldExamples of ricochet in a Sentence
The bullet ricocheted off the wall.
the ball ricocheted off the fielder's glove and went over the fence for a home run
Recent Examples on the Web
The baseball ricocheted into right field as Royals manager Matt Quatraro and the training staff raced to the mound.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 11 June 2026
Clips of his exchanges with Hegseth and other officials have ricocheted across social media, introducing a wider audience to a lawmaker long better known inside the Pentagon than outside it.
—Nik Popli, Time, 8 June 2026
Song opened with a walk, stole second and scored when Tatis' grounder up the middle ricocheted off second base into shallow right field for an RBI single.
—CBS News, 7 June 2026
Song opened with a walk, stole second and scored when Tatis’ grounder up the middle ricocheted off second base into shallow right field for an RBI single.
—ABC News, 7 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for ricochet
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Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 11 June 2026
Clips of his exchanges with Hegseth and other officials have ricocheted across social media, introducing a wider audience to a lawmaker long better known inside the Pentagon than outside it.
—Nik Popli, Time, 8 June 2026
Song opened with a walk, stole second and scored when Tatis' grounder up the middle ricocheted off second base into shallow right field for an RBI single.
—CBS News, 7 June 2026
Song opened with a walk, stole second and scored when Tatis’ grounder up the middle ricocheted off second base into shallow right field for an RBI single.
—ABC News, 7 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for ricochet
Cite this Entry
“Ricochet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ricochet. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ricochet
1 of 2 noun
ric·o·chet
ˈrik-ə-ˌshā
British also -ˌshet
1
: a bouncing off at an angle (as of a bullet off a flat surface)
2
: an object that ricochets
ricochet
2 of 2 verb
ricocheted
-ˌshād
also ricochetted
-ˌshet-əd
; ricocheting
-ˌshā-iŋ
also ricochetting
-ˌshet-iŋ
: to bounce off at an angle
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