# ripple effect

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. The circumstance in which one event instigates an expansive set of other events.

## Etymology
An analogy to the spreading ripples on a body of water after an object has struck the surface.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/ripple-effect