Standard Lemma guide

ricochet

noun · verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈɹɪk.ə.ʃeɪ/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪ
  • rhymes with -ɛt
  • CMU ARPABET: R IH1 K AH0 SH EY2 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A method of firing a projectile so that it skips along a surface.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: government, military, politics, war

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An instance of ricocheting; a glancing rebound.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To rebound off something wildly in a seemingly random direction.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To operate upon by ricochet firing.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: government, military, politics, war

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

a glancing rebound

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: carom

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: recoil, repercussion, rebound, backlash

6

verb

Meaning 6

spring back; spring away from an impact

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The rubber ball bounced
  • These particles do not resile but they unite after they collide

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bounce, resile, take a hop, spring, bound, rebound, recoil, reverberate

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: jump, leap, bound, spring

Narrower terms: kick back, recoil, kick, skip, bound off, carom

History

Etymology

Borrowed from French ricochet, of uncertain origin.

Across languages

Translations

72 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: рикошет (rikošet) — an instance of ricocheting
  • Catalan: rebot — an instance of ricocheting
  • Chinese Mandarin: 跳彈 /跳弹 (tiàodàn) — an instance of ricocheting
  • Czech: odraz — an instance of ricocheting
  • Dutch: ricochet — an instance of ricocheting
  • Estonian: rikošett — an instance of ricocheting
  • Finnish: kimmoke — an instance of ricocheting
  • French: ricochet — an instance of ricocheting
  • German: Querschuss — an instance of ricocheting
  • German: Querschläger — an instance of ricocheting
  • Greek: αποστρακισμός (apostrakismós) — an instance of ricocheting
  • Hebrew: רִיקוֹשֵט (rikoshét) — an instance of ricocheting
  • Hebrew: נֶתֶז (nétez) — an instance of ricocheting
  • Hungarian: visszapattanás — an instance of ricocheting
  • Hungarian: lepattanás — an instance of ricocheting
  • Hungarian: geller — an instance of ricocheting
  • Icelandic: endurkast — an instance of ricocheting
  • Icelandic: skopp — an instance of ricocheting
  • Italian: rimbalzo — an instance of ricocheting
  • Japanese: 跳弾 — an instance of ricocheting
  • Kazakh: жанап тию (janap tiü) — an instance of ricocheting
  • Korean: 도탄 (dotan) — an instance of ricocheting
  • Latvian: rikošets — an instance of ricocheting
  • Macedonian: рикоше́ (rikošé) — an instance of ricocheting
  • Malay: lantunan — an instance of ricocheting
  • Māori: ripi — an instance of ricocheting
  • Polish: rykoszet — an instance of ricocheting
  • Portuguese: ricochete — an instance of ricocheting
  • Russian: рикоше́т (rikošét) — an instance of ricocheting
  • Spanish: rebote — an instance of ricocheting
  • Spanish: rebotadura — an instance of ricocheting
  • Swedish: rikoschett — an instance of ricocheting
  • Vietnamese: đạn nảy — an instance of ricocheting
  • Bulgarian: рикоширам (rikoširam) — to rebound
  • Catalan: retopar — to rebound
  • Czech: odrazit se — to rebound
  • Czech: odrážet se — to rebound
  • Czech: odskočit — to rebound
  • Dutch: afketsen — to rebound
  • Finnish: kimmota — to rebound
  • French: ricocher — to rebound
  • German: abprallen — to rebound
  • German: querschlagen — to rebound
  • German: wegprallen — to rebound
  • Hungarian: lepattan — to rebound
  • Hungarian: visszapattan — to rebound
  • Hungarian: gellert kap — to rebound
  • Icelandic: endurkastast — to rebound
  • Icelandic: kastast frá — to rebound
  • Icelandic: skoppa — to rebound
  • Icelandic: fleyta kerlingar — to rebound
  • Ido: rikochar — to rebound
  • Irish: athscinn — to rebound
  • Italian: rimbalzare — to rebound
  • Japanese: 跳ね返す (hanekaesu) — to rebound
  • Macedonian: рикошети́ра (rikošetíra) — to rebound
  • Malay: melantun — to rebound
  • Māori: ripi — to rebound
  • Māori: pahu — to rebound
  • Portuguese: ricochetear — to rebound
  • Russian: бить рикоше́том (bitʹ rikošétom) — to rebound
  • Russian: рикошети́ровать (rikošetírovatʹ) — to rebound
  • Russian: рикоше́тить (rikošétitʹ) — to rebound
  • Russian: отрикоше́тить (otrikošétitʹ) — to rebound
  • Russian: срикоше́тить (srikošétitʹ) — to rebound
  • Spanish: rebotar — to rebound
  • Spanish: repercutir — to rebound
  • Spanish: resurtir — to rebound
  • Spanish: recudir — to rebound
  • Swedish: rikoschettera — to rebound
  • Ottoman Turkish: سكمك (sekmek) — to rebound
  • Welsh: rhybedio — to rebound