echo

1 of 4

noun (1)

plural echoes also echos
1
a
: the repetition of a sound caused by reflection of sound waves
b
: the sound due to such reflection
2
a
: a repetition or imitation of another : reflection
c
d
3
: one who closely imitates or repeats another's words, ideas, or acts
4
: a soft repetition of a musical phrase
5
a
: the repetition of a received radio signal due especially to reflection of part of the wave from an ionized layer of the atmosphere
b(1)
: the reflection of transmitted radar signals by an object
(2)
: the visual indication of this reflection on a radarscope
echoey adjective

echo

2 of 4

verb

echoed; echoing ˈe-(ˌ)kō-iŋ How to pronounce echo (audio)
ˈe-kə-wiŋ

intransitive verb

1
: to resound with echoes
2
: to produce an echo

transitive verb

1
a
: repeat, imitate
children echoing their teacher's words
b
: to restate in support or agreement
his successor echoed his opinion
c
: to be reminiscent of : evoke
music that echoes an earlier time
2
: to send back (a sound) by the reflection of sound waves

Echo

3 of 4

noun (2)

: a nymph in Greek mythology who pines away for love of Narcissus until nothing is left of her but her voice

Echo

4 of 4

communications code word

used as a code word for the letter e

Examples of echo in a Sentence

Noun (1) We shouted into the canyon and listened to the echo of our voices. the echo of footsteps in the hall His work contains echoes of older and greater poets. The book's title is an echo of a line from an old folk song. The crime is a chilling echo of the murders that shocked the city two years ago. Verb The music echoed through the church. Laughter echoed across the lake. Their voices echoed in the hall. His warnings are echoed by many other experts in the field. “It's in Rome.” “In Rome?” she echoed. Others have echoed her criticisms. The book's title echoes a line from an old folk song. The crime echoes last year's shocking murders.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The speech had echoes of Mr. Biden's campaign remarks, criticizing Mr. Trump as well as too soft on Russian President Vladimir Putin. Colleen Long, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Mar. 2024 Infinite Air Castles combines gamay and dolcetto into an Oregon echo of Beaujolais. Dave McIntyre, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024 As in so many other Israeli households, chicken schnitzel was a firm regular in ours, an echo of my mother’s Central European heritage. Yotam Ottolenghi, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024 This tragedy is not merely an echo of the past but a reflection of the harsh reality of the active and growing threat against transgender and nonbinary youth today. Danielle Marie Holland, Parents, 28 Feb. 2024 The positive effect of direct injection echoes in other investigations, including aggressive ovarian treatment and in vivo CAR T therapy for leukemias and lymphomas. William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 Indeed, a whole lot of The Gentlemen plays as a fainter echo of its predecessor. Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Feb. 2024 The store design will also take acoustics into account by using materials that minimize background noise or echoes, which could disrupt people who use hearing aids. Jordan Valinsky, CNN, 17 Feb. 2024 But in the weeks before radiocarbon dating rendered the find an archaeological triumph, investigators wrestled with a more uncomfortable possibility: Was the body an echo of not-so-distant history, one with which the small island has yet to fully reckon? Ali Watkins, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024
Verb
Zillow echoed that uncertainty in a statement to CNN on Monday. Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 19 Mar. 2024 Tucker-Vikström echoed the idea that the shoe preference will always be determined by the individual dimensions of a customer’s feet. Mason Leib, ABC News, 18 Mar. 2024 Four shots echoed through the train and the station. Michael Wilson, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2024 The sound of constant flutters echoed with the players’ every word. Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2024 Three-quarters of those members closely echoed Johnson’s reasoning. David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024 Joachim’s artistry is rooted equally in Haiti, her Brooklyn upbringing, and classical training, echoing voices of those who came before. Steve Hochman, SPIN, 14 Mar. 2024 The biggest issue was picking the right spots to beef up further, doubling his performance in key spots to make the lead voice thicker, and adding vocal delays that made the words echo in spaces and fill the track out more. Tom Roland, Billboard, 13 Mar. 2024 After the game, Canada coach Bev Priestman echoed Foudy’s thoughts. Ben Morse, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'echo.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English ecco, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French echo, from Latin, from Greek ēchō; akin to Latin vagire to wail, Greek ēchē sound

Noun (2)

Greek Ēchō

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1596, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun (2)

1595, in the meaning defined above

Communications Code Word

1952, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of echo was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near echo

Cite this Entry

“Echo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/echo. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

echo

1 of 2 noun
plural echoes
1
: the repeating of a sound caused by reflection of sound waves
2
a
: a repetition or imitation of another
b
: repercussion sense 2, result
environmental echoes of oil spills
3
: one who closely imitates or repeats another
echoic
i-ˈkō-ik
e-
adjective

echo

2 of 2 verb
echoed; echoing
1
: to be filled with echoes
the stadium echoed with cheers
2
: to produce an echo : send back or repeat a sound
shouts echoing off the wall
3
a
: repeat entry 1 sense 1c, imitate
echoing the teacher's words
b
: to state again in support or agreement
echoed his opinion

Medical Definition

echo

1 of 2 noun
plural echoes also echos
1
: the repetition of a sound that is caused by reflection of sound waves
2
: the sound that is due to reflection of sound waves
echo verb

echo

2 of 2 abbreviation

More from Merriam-Webster on echo

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