plural knock-on effects
chiefly British
: an indirect or secondary effect
The heat wave has had critical knock-on effects. Surging electricity demand and stress on the power grid triggered power outages …—
Umair Irfan
Umair IrfanOver the past 12 months, asking prices [for houses] have gone up by 9.5%. This has a knock-on effect for renters. UK rents rose by 8.3% in the last three months …—theguardian.com (London)
compare domino effect, ripple effect
theguardian.com (London)Examples of knock-on effect in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Most Gulf output is sold overseas and the regional crisis is having a knock-on effect globally.
—Dominic Dudley, semafor.com, 2 Apr. 2026
Societies with high percentages of young people, both under 15 or in places with a youth bulge, can have other serious global knock-on effects.
—John Rennie Short, The Conversation, 31 Mar. 2026
The concern is that beyond immediate knock-on effects from rising gasoline prices, the war’s disruption could come in waves — ones that will play out over weeks and months and leave few parts of the global economy untouched.
—Rob Wile, NBC news, 30 Mar. 2026
The theme is certainly a knock-on effect from Zootopia, the 2016 smash hit whose sequel was the highest-grossing American film of 2025.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
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Dominic Dudley, semafor.com, 2 Apr. 2026
Societies with high percentages of young people, both under 15 or in places with a youth bulge, can have other serious global knock-on effects.
—John Rennie Short, The Conversation, 31 Mar. 2026
The concern is that beyond immediate knock-on effects from rising gasoline prices, the war’s disruption could come in waves — ones that will play out over weeks and months and leave few parts of the global economy untouched.
—Rob Wile, NBC news, 30 Mar. 2026
The theme is certainly a knock-on effect from Zootopia, the 2016 smash hit whose sequel was the highest-grossing American film of 2025.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for knock-on effect
Cite this Entry
“Knock-on effect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/knock-on%20effect. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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