repercussion

[ ree-per-kuhsh-uhn, rep-er- ]
See synonyms for: repercussionrepercussions on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. an effect or result, often indirect or remote, of some event or action: The repercussions of the quarrel were widespread.

  2. the state of being driven back by a resisting body.

  1. a rebounding or recoil of something after impact.

  2. reverberation; echo.

  3. Music. (in a fugue) the point after the development of an episode at which the subject and answer appear again.

Origin of repercussion

1
1375–1425; late Middle English (<Middle French ) <Latin repercussiōn- (stem of repercussiō) a rebounding, equivalent to repercuss(us) (past participle of repercutere to strike back) + -iōn--ion. See re-, percussion

Words Nearby repercussion

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

How to use repercussion in a sentence

  • The proposed law would allow men to abuse their wives, children, and sisters without threat of judicial repercussion.

  • But we can't live in a world where citizens are allowed to do what he's done without repercussion.

    Snowden Is a Spy | Michael Tomasky | June 24, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • Anything done to the Double acts by repercussion upon the physical body.

    Three More John Silence Stories | Algernon Blackwood
  • They're the most curious scars in the world, these scars transferred by repercussion from an injured Double.

    Three More John Silence Stories | Algernon Blackwood
  • When the air around was no longer shaken by constant repercussion, Bobby fell asleep.

    The Bronze Eagle | Emmuska Orczy, Baroness Orczy
  • This is a specimen of the "repercussion" stories, in which the wound inflicted on the wer-animal appears in the human form.

    Human Animals | Frank Hamel
  • We feel the repercussion of his anguish when death was imminent for alleged participation in a nihilistic conspiracy.

    Ivory Apes and Peacocks | James Huneker

British Dictionary definitions for repercussion

repercussion

/ (ˌriːpəˈkʌʃən) /


noun
  1. (often plural) a result or consequence, esp one that is somewhat removed from the action or event which precipitated it: the repercussions of the war are still keenly felt

  2. a recoil after impact; a rebound

  1. a reflection, esp of sound; echo or reverberation

  2. music the reappearance of a fugal subject and answer after an episode

Origin of repercussion

1
C16: from Latin repercussiō, from repercutere to strike back; see percussion

Derived forms of repercussion

  • repercussive, adjective

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