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

Religion Perhaps the biggest case of the term so far, in terms of ripple effects, involves religion, a subject on which the court's conservative super majority has dramatically changed its legal doctrine. — Nina Totenberg, NPR, 3 Oct. 2026

The fees may be creating a ripple effect on California’s expensive housing market, where first-time buyers increasingly are being squeezed out, including by recent interest rate hikes. — Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026

That his name was leaked as a prospective future CEO to drama-seeking observers only set off erroneous ripple effects of speculation that Solomon was headed out the door. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026

All this heat has huge ripple effects, driving marine heat waves, fueling stronger and more destructive storms, damaging marine life and increasing sea level rise, both by melting ice and because warmer water takes up more space. — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 30 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