Skip to main content
ricochet

ricochet

12 7.9
A shot or object that bounces off a surface at an angle
  • noun
  • /ˈrɪkəˌʃeɪ/
translation icon : rebote
  • A few of the passengers, natives mostly, were wounded by ricochet, but on the whole, the derailment caused the most casualties.
  • bullet ricochet
  • ricochet hits
  • ricochet effect

So if you're going to get, if you got it like President Reagan, he when he was hit was a ricochet off the door frame or something caught him in the side.

Examples

  • More gunfire, shattering, and ricochets through the radio.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Were you hit by a ricochet?

  • One of the guerrillas was shot through the head... by a ricochet bullet.

  • Suddenly, there is a gunshot and a bullet ricochets off the top of the car.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Takes out the gunman with a ricochet... whereupon the ship runs aground.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Even so, he bounced between the outer wall and the center column, collecting more bruises with each ricochet.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The soldier was injured by a careless ricochet during the training exercise.

  • The ricochet from the bullet hit the wall and startled everyone in the room.

  • After the ricochet, the bullet struck the ground instead of the target.

Synonyms

carom
vsricochet
  • US
1 9.3

A quick bounce that sends a ball or puck off at an angle

applies specifically to bullets or projectiles bouncing instead of stopping or embedding

How Bouncy

ricochet
12 7.9
rebound
14 3.3

Surface Forms

ricochet singular
ricochets plural

Etymology

Ricochet comes from French and probably began as a sound word that copies the quick noise of something hitting and bouncing. So a ricochet is the 'bounce' or rebound of a bullet, stone, or puck when it hits a surface.