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The letter sequence "v-e-r-b" in reverberate might make you think at first of such word-related brethren as proverb, verbal, and verbose, all of which derive from the Latin noun verbum, meaning "word." In fact, reverberate comes from a much different source: the Latin verb verberare, meaning "to whip, beat, or lash," which is related to the noun verber, meaning "rod." Reverberate entered the English language in the 15th century, and one of its early meanings was "to beat, drive, or cast back." By the early 1600s, it began to appear in contexts associated with sound that repeats or returns the way an echo does.
Examples of reverberate in a Sentence
Stacey Barchenger, The Arizona Republic, 10 Apr. 2024
But none of that has been quite as hands-on as Ecuador’s highly controversial decision to raid Mexico’s embassy – a major violation of diplomatic norms that continues to reverberate across the region.
—Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
The earthquake did not cause damage, but reverberated for 30 seconds throughout the shop.
—Thomas Fuller, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024
But as the repercussions of the new law continue to reverberate around the world of higher education in Utah, many leaders see this as the tip of the iceberg.
—Rayna Reid Rayford, Essence, 3 Apr. 2024
The sound of velcro ripping reverberated through the stunned, silent locker room when Padilla peeled the nameplate off her locker.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
All this makes California's wage hike a high-profile case study for how exactly a higher minimum wage reverberates through the local economy.
—Alina Selyukh, NPR, 30 Mar. 2024
Next: slanting notes of guitar, reverberating with an ache.
—Sophie Yun Mancini, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Mar. 2024
The Nakba has always reverberated strongly among Palestinians, but particularly in the Gaza Strip.
—Ghada Abdulfattah, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'reverberate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Verb
Latin reverberatus, past participle of reverberare, from re- + verberare to lash, from verber rod — more at vervain
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Adjective
1603, in the meaning defined above
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Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP
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“Reverberate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reverberate. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
reverberate
verb
More from Merriam-Webster on reverberate
Nglish: Translation of reverberate for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of reverberate for Arabic Speakers
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