Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

knock-on effect

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.26 in modern English

Syllables: knock--on -ef-fect
IPA

31

Scrabble Score

13

Letters

5

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A secondary, often unintended effect; a repercussion, chain reaction.

British usage

Example Sentences

"If a coach arrives late, it has a knock-on effect on the entire coach station."
"There are various knock-on effects [to the international boycott of the Palestinian government]. PA [Palestinian Authority] services, particularly health and education, have deteriorated sharply because of supply shortages and strikes by workers. Much of the time hospitals have been seeing only emergency cases."
"The Crossrail trains were delivered on time, but there was a long software integration period. That had a knock-on effect on the other orders."

Etymology

knock-on + effect

Usage

British usage

Inflected Forms

knock-on effects (plural)

Phrases

other effects: domino effect ripple effect related: Unintended consequence

Frequently Paired Words

idiom other effects: domino effect ripple effect concept related: Unintended consequence

Questions

What does knock-on effect mean?: A secondary, often unintended effect; a repercussion, chain reaction.
Where does knock-on effect come from?: knock-on + effect

How to pronounce knock-on effect

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