ricochet

1 of 2

noun

ric·​o·​chet ˈri-kə-ˌshā 

 British also  -ˌshet

: 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

2 of 2

verb

ricocheted ˈri-kə-ˌshād  also ricochetted ˈri-kə-ˌshe-təd  ; ricocheting ˈri-kə-ˌshā-iŋ  also ricochetting ˈri-kə-ˌshe-tiŋ 

intransitive verb

: 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

Synonyms

Verb

• bounce
• carom
• glance
• rebound
• skim
• skip

Examples of ricochet in a Sentence

Noun

He was hit by a ricochet.

the ricochet of the bullet off the wall

Verb

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

Its 12 songs ricochet from adolescent rage to joyous release, fast guitars and gorgeous hooks. —Steve Appleford, SPIN, 17 Oct. 2024

With Gunning’s Martha and Mau’s Teri anchoring Gadd’s Donny, the series is a thoughtful and nuanced account of how abuse ricochets, affecting the survivors and those who orbit around them. —Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 14 Aug. 2024

Verb

Buehler’s second inning cost the Dodgers the game, and this doesn’t count Freddie Freeman’s throw to second base that ricocheted off Manny Machado’s helmet or the mistake Miguel Rojas made of trying to beat a runner to second base instead of flipping the ball to Gavin Lux. —Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2024

His advocacy campaign to remove Harvard’s then-president over plagiarism allegations ricocheted this year to Oxman apologizing for citation errors in her own PhD dissertation. —Gary Baum, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French

First Known Use

Noun

1740, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1804, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

ricochet

1 of 2 noun

ric·​o·​chet ˈrik-ə-ˌshā 

 British also  -ˌshet

1

: a bouncing off at an angle (as of a bullet off a flat surface)

2

: an object that ricochets

ricochet

2 of 2 verb

ricocheted

-ˌshād

also ricochetted

-ˌshet-əd

; ricocheting

-ˌshā-iŋ

also ricochetting

-ˌshet-iŋ

: to bounce off at an angle