as in splashes
to flow in a broken irregular stream
water rippling gently over the tiers of the fountain
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Recent Examples of ripples
Robert Rapier, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026
The feature, starring Birgit Minichmayr, Lotte Keiling, Tristan López, and Carla Hüttermann, follows a family on summer holiday that are struck by a tragedy that ripples through their lives and relationships.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026
Michael expanded on his wife’s message, adding that an investment in one person ripples across time and space, touching even more lives.
—Connor Greene, Time, 22 May 2026
His impact ripples through foundational pieces still on the Broncos’ roster — Garett Bolles, Courtland Sutton, Surtain and Alex Singleton.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 29 Apr. 2026
These branches receive molecular signals at one end of a neuron and induce the cell to rapidly fire an electrical charge that ripples down the cell body, known as an action potential.
—Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 24 Apr. 2026
Chaos ripples out from the Oval Office hourly as from rocks dumped into a pond.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 19 Apr. 2026
Indeed, his imprint ripples outward, from the interstellar swagger of OutKast and the android futurism of Janelle Monáe to the mystical poise of Erykah Badu and the sculptural, otherworldly aesthetics of Solange, Grace Wales Bonner, and Pharrell Williams.
—Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 5 Mar. 2026
Violence ripples out Irvin, 22, was dead just 10 days later.
—Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
Verb
If one part slows down, the impact ripples across the entire chain.
—Robert Rapier, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026
The feature, starring Birgit Minichmayr, Lotte Keiling, Tristan López, and Carla Hüttermann, follows a family on summer holiday that are struck by a tragedy that ripples through their lives and relationships.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026
Michael expanded on his wife’s message, adding that an investment in one person ripples across time and space, touching even more lives.
—Connor Greene, Time, 22 May 2026
His impact ripples through foundational pieces still on the Broncos’ roster — Garett Bolles, Courtland Sutton, Surtain and Alex Singleton.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 29 Apr. 2026
These branches receive molecular signals at one end of a neuron and induce the cell to rapidly fire an electrical charge that ripples down the cell body, known as an action potential.
—Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 24 Apr. 2026
Chaos ripples out from the Oval Office hourly as from rocks dumped into a pond.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 19 Apr. 2026
Indeed, his imprint ripples outward, from the interstellar swagger of OutKast and the android futurism of Janelle Monáe to the mystical poise of Erykah Badu and the sculptural, otherworldly aesthetics of Solange, Grace Wales Bonner, and Pharrell Williams.
—Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 5 Mar. 2026
Violence ripples out Irvin, 22, was dead just 10 days later.
—Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ripples
Verb
-
Then Oliver splashes his blameless girlfriend in the face, and the three men flee, chased by a group of enraged barflies.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Reed landed multiple Tsunami splashes on Reigns, who was stretchered out of the arena.—
Fernando Quiles Jr,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
With dresses and intimate wear for women; jewelry; personal care products; men’s wallets; baby swaddles, stuffies, rattles and teething toys; dog leashes, collars and toys; greeting cards and a wide range of home decor, the store is drawing people in.—
Sarah Kyrcz,
Hartford Courant,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Cunningham’s Fisher-Price pianos and decrepit drums are unmistakable, as is Ciani’s Buchla, which whooshes and rattles like a steam engine barreling down the tracks.—
Andrew Ryce,
Pitchfork,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Advertisement The increasingly impactful capabilities and misalignment of these models have also had concerning social repercussions, notably due to models’ sycophancy, which can lead to users forming strong emotional attachments.—
Yoshua Bengio,
Time,
11 Dec. 2025
-
The cost of recruiting new volunteers is soaring, while the Kremlin still fears the social repercussions of a mass mobilization.—
Thomas Graham,
Foreign Affairs,
10 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Summer is finally here, meaning natural curls are making their seasonal comeback, and with them the return of multipronged, post-shower hair care regimens to lock the shape and manage the frizz.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
9 June 2026
-
From Kidman’s natural shiny curls in the wind and the horses in the background to her simple yet chic outfit, her Instagram post has crazy aura.—
Kaitlin Clapinski,
InStyle,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
This paint washes right off nonporous tubs.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
10 June 2026
-
Or take Doofy Gilmore (Dave Sheridan), a lisping dimwit geek who washes with his own spit.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
4 June 2026
Noun
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Although the exact details of the electrolyzer are being kept under the wraps as its patent application is still under process, Shibuya confirmed that the system does not need any additives or generate any unnecessary by-products.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
4 June 2026
-
Coir, a fibrous material made from by-products of coconut husks; it is often used as a substitute for peat.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
There is always tension between the two biggest clubs in Spain’s capital city, which sometimes bubbles over — as happened when Alvarez’s ‘double-touch’ penalty was controversially ruled out in the Champions League round-of-16 shootout ultimately won by Real last year.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
-
The hydrogen literally bubbles out of the rock over hundreds of millions of years.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
24 May 2026
Noun
-
Since then, according to authorities, 764 has grown into more of an ideology than a singular group, inspiring offshoots and subgroups around the world that mirror 764 but use different names to help keep social media companies and law enforcement from tracking them.—
Mike Levine,
ABC News,
3 Dec. 2025
-
Other offshoots in Turkey and Tunisia have forsworn violence and come to power by democratic means.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ripples.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ripples. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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