reverberate

[ri-vur-buh-reyt, ri-vur-ber-it]

verb (used without object)

reverberated, reverberating 

1. to reecho or resound.

   Her singing reverberated through the house.

   Synonyms: vibrate, rebound, ring, carry

2. Physics.,  to be reflected many times, as sound waves from the walls of a confined space.

3. to rebound or recoil.

4. to be deflected, as flame in a reverberatory furnace.

verb (used with object)

reverberated, reverberating 

1. to echo back or reecho (sound).

2. to cast back or reflect (light, heat, etc.).

3. to subject to reflected heat, as in a reverberatory furnace.

adjective

1. reverberant.

reverberate

/ rɪˈvɜːbəˌreɪt /

verb

1. (intr) to resound or re-echo

   the explosion reverberated through the castle

2. to reflect or be reflected many times

3. (intr) to rebound or recoil

4. (intr) (of the flame or heat in a reverberatory furnace) to be deflected onto the metal or ore on the hearth

5. (tr) to heat, melt, or refine (a metal or ore) in a reverberatory furnace

Other Word Forms

• reverberation noun
• reverberant adjective
• reverberantly adverb
• reverberative adjective
• reverberator noun
• unreverberated adjective
• unreverberating adjective
• unreverberative adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of reverberate¹

First recorded in 1540–50, reverberate is from the Latin word reverberātus (past participle of reverberāre to strike back). See reverberant, -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of reverberate¹

C16: from Latin reverberāre to strike back, from _re- + verberāre to beat, from verber a lash

Example Sentences

Kennedy’s position on vaccines have reverberated beyond Capitol Hill.

From Los Angeles Times

Every joint strike on the tarmac reverberated through the stands.

From BBC

It changed all of our lives and mine so profoundly that it’s still reverberating.

From Los Angeles Times

Their story unfolds over time across both everyday happenings and milestones, with each self-contained episode jumping between moments that reverberate from anywhere in the 1950s to 2020s.

From Los Angeles Times

They have an aggressive front office, a roster full of big personalities, and an ever-pulsing current of emotion and intensity reverberating from the dugout through their frenzied home crowds.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• echo 
• resound