backlash

[ bak-lash ]
See synonyms for backlash on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a sudden, forceful backward movement; recoil.

  2. a strong or violent reaction, as to some social or political change: a backlash of angry feeling among Southern conservatives within the party.

  1. Machinery.

    • the space between the thickness of a gear tooth and the width of the space between teeth in the mating gear, designed to allow for a film of lubricant, binding from heat expansion and eccentricity, or manufacturing inaccuracies.

    • play or lost motion between loosely fitting machine parts.

  2. Angling. a snarled line on a reel, usually caused by a faulty cast.

verb (used without object)
  1. to make or undergo a backlash.

Origin of backlash

1
First recorded in 1805–15; back2 + lash1

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for backlash

backlash

/ (ˈbækˌlæʃ) /


noun
  1. a reaction or recoil between interacting worn or badly fitting parts in a mechanism

  2. the play between parts

  1. a sudden and adverse reaction, esp to a political or social development: a public backlash against the government is inevitable

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012