ripple effect

noun

Definition of ripple effect

: 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

Gigi Sohn, a distinguished fellow at Georgetown Law’s Institute for Technology Law and Policy, chats with Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel about what’s happened since by explaining the ripple effect of harmful policy decisions and more. — Zachary Mack, The Verge, "Three things the FCC’s done since net neutrality was repealed," 9 July 2019 Thousands of flights were grounded at some of the country's busiest airports, causing a ripple effect of delays and cancellations around the world. — Eder Campuzano, OregonLive.com, "Portland metro Saturday weather: Wow. It's a great day to go outside," 10 Mar. 2018 Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter The 1976 primary would have a ripple effect on future Democratic primaries. — Olivia B. Waxman, Time, "What the 2020 Democrats Can Learn From One of the Most Crowded Primary Fields in History," 27 June 2019 Even a small increase in cost could have a large ripple effect on what people buy. — Samantha Maldonado, latimes.com, "Trade tensions with India and China put California almond growers at risk," 27 June 2019 Even a small increase in the cost could have a large ripple effect on what people buy. — Washington Post, "India tariffs threaten California almond industry," 27 June 2019 What the Pelicans decide to do here will have a ripple effect on the rest of the draft. — Jeremy Woo, SI.com, "2019 NBA Mock Draft 12.0: Trade Rumors and Final Projections," 20 June 2019 Civil rights experts warn that adding the question could result in about 6 million Hispanics not being counted, which could have a ripple effect on American Indians. — Dana Hedgpeth, Anchorage Daily News, "Census and tribal leaders push for Native American participation in 2020 census," 14 June 2019 Collins is thus an influential player in the scientific field, and his anti-manel pledge is already having a ripple effect. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "N.I.H. Director Vows to Decline Invitations to All-Male Speaking Panels," 14 June 2019

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