ricochet

ric·o·chet

R r

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [rik-uh-shey, rik-uh-shey or, esp. British, rik-uh-shet]
- /ˌrɪk əˈʃeɪ, ˈrɪk əˌʃeɪ or, esp. British, ˈrɪk əˌʃɛt/
- /ˈrɪk.ə.ʃeɪ/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [rik-uh-shey, rik-uh-shey or, esp. British, rik-uh-shet]
- /ˌrɪk əˈʃeɪ, ˈrɪk əˌʃeɪ or, esp. British, ˈrɪk əˌʃɛt/

Definitions of ricochet word

noun ricochet the motion of an object or a projectile in rebounding or deflecting one or more times from the surface over which it is passing or against which it hits a glancing blow. 1
verb without object ricochet to move in this way, as a projectile. 1
noun ricochet deflection 1
abbreviation RICOCHET rebound 1
intransitive verb ricochet be deflected 1
verb ricochet When a bullet ricochets, it hits a surface and bounces away from it. 0

See all 13 definitions of ricochet

Information block about the term

Origin of ricochet

First appearance:

before 1760

One of the 46% newest English words

1760-70; < French; origin uncertain

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Ricochet

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Ricochet

ricochet popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 55% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

ricochet usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for ricochet

verb ricochet

backfire — If a plan or project backfires, it has the opposite result to the one that was intended.
backlashed — a sudden, forceful backward movement; recoil.
backlashing — a sudden, forceful backward movement; recoil.
barged — a capacious, flat-bottomed vessel, usually intended to be pushed or towed, for transporting freight or passengers; lighter.
bob — If something bobs, it moves up and down, like something does when it is floating on water.

noun ricochet

deflection — The deflection of something means making it change direction.
echo — a repetition of sound produced by the reflection of sound waves from a wall, mountain, or other obstructing surface.

All 21 Synonyms of ricochet