reverberate

/rəˈvʌrbəreɪt/

/rəˈvʌbəreɪt/

Other forms: reverberated; reverberating; reverberates

If you give a loud shout in a cavernous place, like a gym or a church, the sound of your voice will reverberate throughout the room. Reverberate means sound waves traveling back and forth, as in an echo.

Often we use reverberate to talk about sound, or sometimes light. If a noise echoes for a long time, we can say the space reverberates with that noise. You may have heard of a reverb effect in audio processing, which is basically a long echo. We also use the word metaphorically to describe the impact of huge events. For example, the 2008 mortgage crisis in the U.S. reverberated throughout the world’s economy, causing a global recession.

Definitions of reverberate

1. verb

   ring or echo with sound
   synonyms: echo, resound, ring

   types:

   consonate

   sound in sympathy

   reecho

   repeat or return an echo again or repeatedly; send (an echo) back

   reecho

   echo repeatedly, echo again and again

   bong

   ring loudly and deeply

   type of:

   go, sound

   make a certain noise or sound
2. verb

   have a long or continuing effect
   “The discussions with my teacher reverberated throughout my adult life”

   type of:

   die hard, endure, persist, prevail, run

   continue to exist
3. verb

   be reflected as heat, sound, or light or shock waves
   “the waves reverberate as far away as the end of the building”

   synonyms:

   reflect

   throw or bend back (from a surface)

   type of:

   reflect

   throw or bend back (from a surface)
4. verb

   treat, process, heat, melt, or refine in a reverberatory furnace
   “reverberate ore”

   type of:

   process, treat

   subject to a process or treatment, with the aim of readying for some purpose, improving, or remedying a condition
5. verb

   throw or bend back (from a surface)
   synonyms: reflect

   types:

   mirror

   reflect as if in a mirror
6. verb

   spring back; spring away from an impact
   synonyms: bounce, bound, rebound, recoil, resile, ricochet, spring, take a hop

   types:

   kick, kick back, recoil

   spring back, as from a forceful thrust

   bound off, skip

   bound off one point after another

   carom

   rebound after hitting

   type of:

   bound, jump, leap, spring

   move forward by leaps and bounds