chain reaction
noun
1
a
: a series of events so related to each other that each one initiates the next
b
: a number of events triggered by the same initial event
2
: a self-sustaining chemical or nuclear reaction yielding energy or products that cause further reactions of the same kind
Examples of chain reaction in a Sentence
Increased oil prices could trigger a chain reaction in the economy.
Recent Examples on the Web
Restoring power proved to be more problematic in the country's north, where a fault in a backbone transmission line first triggered the outage that set off a chain reaction of power plant and transmission line shutdowns across the South American nation.
—
Nayara Batschke and Matias Basualdo The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 27 Feb. 2025
All the destruction and loss were part of chain reactions that fire investigators are now trying to trace back to their incandescent origins.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2025
As collisions create more debris, the risk of further impacts grows exponentially, potentially leading to a chain reaction that could make certain orbital ranges unusable for generations.
—Tribune Content Agency, The Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2024
His car slowed down, causing a chain reaction behind him that eventually led to a crash which knocked several cars out of the race.
—Kevin Dotson, CNN, 16 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chain reaction
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Nayara Batschke and Matias Basualdo The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 27 Feb. 2025
All the destruction and loss were part of chain reactions that fire investigators are now trying to trace back to their incandescent origins.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2025
As collisions create more debris, the risk of further impacts grows exponentially, potentially leading to a chain reaction that could make certain orbital ranges unusable for generations.
—Tribune Content Agency, The Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2024
His car slowed down, causing a chain reaction behind him that eventually led to a crash which knocked several cars out of the race.
—Kevin Dotson, CNN, 16 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chain reaction
Cite this Entry
“Chain reaction.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chain%20reaction. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.
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