reverberate

1 of 2

verb

re·​ver·​ber·​ate ri-ˈvər-bə-ˌrāt 

reverberated; reverberating

transitive verb

1

: reflect

2

: repel

a mirror reverberating glaring light

3

: echo

intransitive verb

1

a

: to become driven back

b

: to become reflected

2

: to continue in or as if in a series of echoes : resound

The room reverberated with laughter.

a historic event that still reverberates today

reverberate

2 of 2

adjective

re·​ver·​ber·​ate ri-ˈvər-b(ə-)rət 

: reverberant

Did you know?

The letter sequence "v-e-r-b" in reverberate might make you think at first of such word-related brethren as proverb, verbal, and verbose, all of which derive from the Latin noun verbum, meaning "word." In fact, reverberate comes from a much different source: the Latin verb verberare, meaning "to whip, beat, or lash," which is related to the noun verber, meaning "rod." Reverberate entered the English language in the 15th century, and one of its early meanings was "to beat, drive, or cast back." By the early 1600s, it began to appear in contexts associated with sound that repeats or returns the way an echo does.

Synonyms of reverberate

Verb

• echo

Examples of reverberate in a Sentence

Verb

the sound of thunder reverberated from one end of the mountain pass to the other

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The Hugging Face hack reverberated across the industry because OpenAI’s models took actions that went against what they were supposed to do, including accessing the internet and exploiting vulnerabilities. — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 28 Oct. 2026

Phrased as if for a story that would never be written, this jotting, complete in itself, conjures an eerie world in which violence toward one person reverberates through other people in other places, leaving human bodies mysteriously linked. — Robert S. Levine, The Conversation, 26 Oct. 2026

The fallout from a weekend of protests and looting reverberated across the country as retailers and brands warned that damages could run hundreds of millions of euros. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026

Virtual fireworks and explosions reverberate through our seats. — Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 19 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Latin reverberatus, past participle of reverberare, from re- + verberare to lash, from verber rod — more at vervain

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Adjective

1603, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

reverberate

verb

re·​ver·​ber·​ate

ri-ˈvər-bə-ˌrāt

reverberated; reverberating

: to continue in or as if in a series of echoes

reverberation

-ˌvər-bə-ˈrā-shən

noun