result

/riˈzʌlt/

/rɪˈzʌlt/

Other forms: results; resulted; resulting

A result is something that occurs as a consequence of some action. The result of your practical joke is a puddle of water on the floor and a lump on your cousin's head where the bucket hit him.

A result is also the answer to some problem, especially one obtained by calculation or experimentation. The result you get for a math problem will be wrong if you add when you should multiply. The verb result means to follow as an outcome of some action. If you forget to book a room in advance, it will result in your having to stay at the hotel by the airport instead of one by the beach.

Definitions of result

1. noun

   something that results
   “he listened for the results on the radio”

   synonyms: final result, outcome, resultant, termination

   types:

   denouement

   the outcome of a complex sequence of events

   deal

   the type of treatment received (especially as the result of an agreement)

   decision

   the outcome of a game or contest

   decision

   (boxing) a victory won on points when no knockout has occurred

   aftermath, consequence

   the outcome of an event especially as relative to an individual

   just deserts, poetic justice

   an outcome in which virtue triumphs over vice (often ironically)

   separation

   the termination of employment (by resignation or dismissal)

   sequel, subsequence

   something that follows something else

   worst

   the least favorable outcome

   fair deal, square deal

   fair treatment

   raw deal

   unfair treatment

   split decision

   a boxing decision in which the judges are not unanimous

   corollary

   a practical consequence that follows naturally

   comeupance, comeuppance, deserts

   an outcome (good or bad) that is well deserved

   fruit

   the consequence of some effort or action

   sequella

   a secondary consequence

   train

   a series of consequences wrought by an event

   payoff, reward, wages

   a recompense for worthy acts or retribution for wrongdoing

   type of:

   conclusion, ending, finish

   event whose occurrence ends something
2. noun

   a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
   synonyms: consequence, effect, event, issue, outcome, upshot

   types:

   materialisation, materialization, offspring

   something that comes into existence as a result

   aftereffect

   any result that follows its cause after an interval

   aftermath, backwash, wake

   the consequences of an event (especially a catastrophic event)

   bandwagon effect

   the phenomenon of a popular trend attracting even greater popularity

   brisance

   the shattering or crushing effect of a sudden release of energy as in an explosion

   butterfly effect

   the phenomenon whereby a small change at one place in a complex system can have large effects elsewhere, e.g., a butterfly flapping its wings in Rio de Janeiro might change the weather in Chicago

   by-product, byproduct

   a secondary and sometimes unexpected consequence

   change

   the result of alteration or modification

   coattails effect

   (politics) the consequence of one popular candidate in an election drawing votes for other members of the same political party

   Coriolis effect

   (physics) an effect whereby a body moving in a rotating frame of reference experiences the Coriolis force acting perpendicular to the direction of motion and to the axis of rotation; on Earth the Coriolis effect deflects moving bodies to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere

   dent

   an appreciable consequence (especially a lessening)

   domino effect

   the consequence of one event setting off a chain of similar events (like a falling domino causing a whole row of upended dominos to fall)

   harvest

   the consequence of an effort or activity

   impact, wallop

   a forceful consequence; a strong effect

   influence

   the effect of one thing (or person) on another

   knock-on effect

   a secondary or incidental effect

   branch, offset, offshoot, outgrowth

   a natural consequence of development

   product

   a consequence of someone's efforts or of a particular set of circumstances

   placebo effect

   any effect that seems to be a consequence of administering a placebo; the change is usually beneficial and is assumed result from the person's faith in the treatment or preconceptions about what the experimental drug was supposed to do; pharmacologists were the first to talk about placebo effects but now the idea has been generalized to many situations having nothing to do with drugs

   position effect

   (genetics) the effect on the expression of a gene that is produced by changing its location in a chromosome

   repercussion, reverberation

   a remote or indirect consequence of some action

   response

   a result

   fallout, side effect

   any adverse and unwanted secondary effect

   spillover

   (economics) any indirect effect of public expenditure

   perturbation

   (physics) a secondary influence on a system that causes it to deviate slightly

   purchase

   a means of exerting influence or gaining advantage

   wind

   a tendency or force that influences events

   reaction

   a response that reveals a person's feelings or attitude

   epiphenomenon

   a secondary phenomenon that is a by-product of another phenomenon

   depolarisation, depolarization

   a loss of polarity or polarization

   type of:

   phenomenon

   any state or process known through the senses rather than by intuition or reasoning
3. verb

   issue or terminate (in a specified way, state, etc.); end
   “result in tragedy”

   synonyms: ensue

   types:

   come

   happen as a result

   be due, flow from

   be the result of

   fall out, follow

   come as a logical consequence; follow logically

   come after, follow

   come after in time, as a result

   type of:

   prove, turn out, turn up

   be shown or be found to be
4. verb

   come about or follow as a consequence
   “nothing will result from this meeting”

   type of:

   come about, fall out, go on, hap, happen, occur, pass, pass off, take place

   come to pass
5. verb

   have as a result or residue
   synonyms: lead, leave

   leave

   act or be so as to become in a specified state

   leave

   have left or have as a remainder

   types:

   lead

   tend to or result in

   entail, implicate

   impose, involve, or imply as a necessary accompaniment or result

   necessitate

   cause to be a concomitant

   type of:

   achieve, beget, bring about, give rise, produce

   cause to happen, occur, or exist
6. noun

   a statement that solves a problem or explains how to solve the problem
   “he computed the result to four decimal places”

   synonyms: answer, resolution, solution, solvent

   types:

   denouement, resolution

   the final resolution of the main complication of a literary or dramatic work

   type of:

   statement

   a message that is stated or declared; a communication (oral or written) setting forth particulars or facts etc
7. noun

   the semantic role of the noun phrase whose referent exists only by virtue of the activity denoted by the verb in the clause
   synonyms: resultant role

   type of:

   participant role, semantic role

   (linguistics) the underlying relation that a constituent has with the main verb in a clause