domino effect
nounDefinition of domino effect
: a cumulative effect produced when one event initiates a succession of similar events — compare ripple effect
Examples of domino effect in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The collapse of the entire system would further compound the pension crisis at hand and have a domino effect on our economy, potentially leading to widescale business closures, layoffs and rising unemployment. — CNN, "America is facing a pension crisis. Retirees will pay the price if we don't act now," 14 Aug. 2019 Spurred on by extra warmth — and therefore energy — in the world’s largest ocean, these warm waters create a meteorological domino effect on worldwide weather. — Chris Bianchi, The Denver Post, "Bye bye, El Niño: What does that mean for this winter in Colorado?," 10 Aug. 2019 His movement and hold-up play might have a domino effect on the rest of the attack. — Brian Straus, SI.com, "USMNT Gets Away With Disjointed Showing vs. Curacao, Advances in Gold Cup," 30 June 2019 Some delegates, who are coming to Vienna for this week’s gathering, worried about a domino effect. — Summer Said, WSJ, "Qatar to Leave OPEC as Cartel Pressured to Cut Production," 3 Dec. 2018 The Spanish giants have been linked with Paul Pogba and Christian Eriksen and Bale's move could potentially kickstart a domino effect of transfers between Europe's biggest clubs. — SI.com, "Real Madrid to Let Gareth Bale Leave for Free With Welshman Set for Jiangsu Suning Move," 27 July 2019 Sometimes there’s huge domino effects of adjusting storyboards and shot lists because everything has to fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. — Marcus Jones, EW.com, "Jennifer Morrison says directing Maddy's Euphoria episode 'was one of those kismet situations'," 16 July 2019 Scientists worried those quakes could set off a domino effect, reawakening the southern San Andreas from its long slumber. — Rong-gong Lin Ii, latimes.com, "A swarm of 1,000 earthquakes hit Southern California — how nervous should we be?," 19 June 2019 Endeavor’s action is expected by some observers to agitate the agency landscape, possibly precipitating a domino effect of mergers, acquisitions and consolidations as rival representation firms look to shore up their competitive edge. — Rebecca Sun, The Hollywood Reporter, "UTA-Paradigm Deal Chatter Heats Up as Agencies Feel Urge to Merge," 7 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'domino effect.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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