Did you know?
The letter sequence "v-e-r-b" in reverberate might make you think at first of such word-related brethren as proverb, verbal, and verbose, all of which derive from the Latin noun verbum, meaning "word." In fact, reverberate comes from a much different source: the Latin verb verberare, meaning "to whip, beat, or lash," which is related to the noun verber, meaning "rod." Reverberate entered the English language in the 15th century, and one of its early meanings was "to beat, drive, or cast back." By the early 1600s, it began to appear in contexts associated with sound that repeats or returns the way an echo does.
Examples of reverberate in a Sentence
Kristan Hawkins, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025
Events of the past few days, starting with the seismic trade reverberating around the NBA, shook up just about everyone.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 6 Feb. 2025
Cumming also made sure to acknowledge the good energy and kindness reverberating around the room.
—Freya Drohan, Vogue, 4 Feb. 2025
Amid the flurry of executive orders issued last week on the first day of President Donald Trump’s administration, one targeted at diversity programs is reverberating throughout federal science agencies.
—Byvirginia Gewin, science.org, 28 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for reverberate 
Dictionary Entries Near reverberate
Cite this Entry
“Reverberate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reverberate. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.
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