ricochet
noun
ric·o·chet
| \ ˈri-kə-ˌshā
, British also -ˌshet\
, British also -ˌshet\
Definition of ricochet
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a glancing rebound (as of a projectile off a flat surface)
the ricochet of the bullet off the wall
also
: an object that ricochets
He was hit by a ricochet.
ricochet
verb
ricocheted\ ˈri-kə-ˌshād
\
also ricochetted\ ˈri-kə-ˌshe-təd
\;
ricocheting\ ˈri-kə-ˌshā-iŋ
\
also ricochetting\ ˈri-kə-ˌshe-tiŋ
\
\
also ricochetted\ ˈri-kə-ˌshe-təd
\;
ricocheting\ ˈri-kə-ˌshā-iŋ
\
also ricochetting\ ˈri-kə-ˌshe-tiŋ
\
Definition of ricochet (Entry 2 of 2)
: to bounce or skip with or as if with a glancing rebound
The bullet that hit President Reagan had ricocheted off the presidential limousine.— David Fisher The ball ricochets at a right angle, falling with force into the first baseman's glove …— Bob Drury The chute snaps open, the sound ricocheting through the gorge like a gunshot, and McGuire is soaring, carving S turns into the air, swooping over a winding creek.— Karl Taro Greenfeld
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Synonyms for ricochet
Synonyms: Verb
bounce, carom, glance, rebound, skim, skip
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Examples of ricochet in a Sentence
Noun
He was hit by a ricochet. the ricochet of the bullet off the wallVerb
The bullet ricocheted off the wall. the ball ricocheted off the fielder's glove and went over the fence for a home run
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The ball bounced off the backstop and right to Martin as Mejia darted home, but Martin muffed the ricochet and Mejia slid home safely to tie the score. — Los Angeles Times, "Kenley Jansen blows another save, but Dodgers still come on top in extras," 28 Aug. 2019 In Minnesota, a similar scene played out — Orlando City secured a lead, defended its goal into the 90th minute and then let an errant ricochet on a throw-in lead to a goal. — Julia Poe, Pro Soccer USA, "Three things we learned from Orlando City’s 1-1 road draw with Minnesota United," 10 Aug. 2019 The process was, judging from the results, liberating for Coppola—paradoxically so, because the film may be his most personal work, albeit by ricochet. — Richard Brody, The New Yorker, "What to Stream: “Tucker: The Man and His Dream,” a Slyly Personal Francis Ford Coppola Film," 2 Aug. 2019 Unfortunately for the Brits, such dance-makers as Boris Eifman and Matthew Bourne have made obsession far more compelling, and on Friday, Ryoichi Hirano as Rudolf didn’t so much unify the components of the role as ricochet between them. — Lewis Segal, latimes.com, "Review: Royal Ballet comes to L.A. for the first time in years with ‘Mayerling’," 7 July 2019 Here's an image of the fuselage struck by the 20-millimeter round, provided to the Netherlands' NOS News Agency by the Ministry of Defense: Another possibility: the jet was hit with ricochets from the 20-millimeter rounds. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "A Dutch F-16 Flew Into Its Own Gunfire," 8 Apr. 2019 Each spreads through a population according to its peculiar viral dynamics — some ricochet through a population and then burn out, while others come and go with the seasons. — Bijan Stephen, The Verge, "That Trump tank meme on Cesar Sayoc’s van was made as a joke, creator says," 26 Oct. 2018 At that point, the remaining material ricochets off the high-density core and is ejected out into space in a massive explosion. — Jay Bennett, Popular Mechanics, "NASA's New ISS Experiment Will Study Mysterious Pulsars," 29 May 2017 That would have a ricochet effect for American consumers, weakening pension funds and 401(k) investments, as stocks suffer losses. — Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, "Trade wars are damaging, so why is Trump fighting one with China?," 13 July 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
There was evidence, according to the appeals court ruling, that the fatal round ricocheted off concrete before striking Steinle. — Dennis Romero, NBC News, "California appeals court overturns conviction in Kate Steinle death," 31 Aug. 2019 In the 78th minute, Sacha Kljestan ran onto a cross from Akindele and slammed an open shot, but the ball ricocheted off the left post. — Julia Poe, Pro Soccer USA, "Orlando City suffers 1-0 home loss to New York Red Bulls despite second half rally," 23 July 2019 But as her booming, powerful baritone ricocheted off the walls, Ms. Lucas, 38, became the character — plotting his next seductions with relish and menace. — Michael Cooper, New York Times, "Transgender Opera Singers Find Their Voices," 8 July 2019 Her spike was unstoppable, ricocheting off an opponent before slamming into the sand. — Los Angeles Times, "Alix Klineman’s transition to beach volleyball has been everything she and April Ross could have hoped for," 15 Aug. 2019 Whistles and cheers ricocheted across the vastness of the room. — Clint Smith, The New Republic, "The Sound and Silence of Toni Morrison," 6 Aug. 2019 Those shards and the fishing weights would have rocketed at that brick wall, ricocheting off and firing into the marchers’ bodies. — Leah Sottile, Longreads, "Chapter Five: The Remnant," 20 July 2019 The split has left the 12 other self-ruling Orthodox churches in an awkward position of having to choose between the two Patriarchates, and the tension has ricocheted across the Orthodox world. — Erasmus, The Economist, "The gift of overcoming barriers eludes the world’s Orthodox Christians," 15 June 2019 The conversation ricochets between her serious critique of everything from the UK’s Labour Party to Elon Musk and warm laughter. — Eshe Nelson, Quartz, "One of the world’s most influential economists is on a mission to save capitalism from itself," 22 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ricochet.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for ricochet
ricochet
noun
English Language Learners Definition of ricochet
(Entry 1 of 2)
: something (such as a bullet or stone) that ricochets off a surface
: the action of ricocheting off a surface
ricochet
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of ricochet (Entry 2 of 2)
: to bounce off a surface and continue moving in a different direction
See the full definition for ricochet in the English Language Learners Dictionary
ricochet
verb
ric·o·chet
| \ ˈri-kə-ˌshā
\
\
ricocheted;
ricocheting
Kids Definition of ricochet
: to bounce off at an angle
… the stones and shattered metal fragments ricocheted about dangerously.— Brian Jacques, Redwall
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