ripple effect

noun

: a spreading, pervasive, and usually unintentional effect or influence

the automotive industry has a ripple effect on many other industries

compare domino effect

Examples of ripple effect in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Seven months into the war with Iran, the global oil price is above $100 per barrel — a more than 60% increase since the start of the year — and continues to have major ripple effects through the economy and markets. — John Towfighi, CNN Money, 25 Sep. 2026

Then September 30, the following week, Micron is expected to report fiscal Q4 earnings, a barometer for AI memory demand that may have ripple effects on Nvidia. — Julia Spina, CNBC, 22 Sep. 2026

What seems like a small adjustment creates ripple effects across the organization. — Troy Nelson, Forbes.com, 22 Sep. 2026

The outage is having a ripple effect on air traffic throughout the country. — Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1966, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ripple effect

• aftereffect
• interconnect
• affect
• aspect
• bedecked
• bisect
• collect
• connect
• correct
• deflect
• detect
• direct