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
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 Copilot’s strange interactions had echoes of challenges Microsoft experienced last year, shortly after releasing the chatbot technology to users of its Bing search engine. Jackie Davalos, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2024 My psychic realm is currently filled with nothing but echoes, clamor of unappeased and half-squelched fury, fear and bafflement. Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024 Here, in the presence of Hegra's timeless facades and the echoes of ancient kingdoms, Desert X AlUla 2024 invites the world to witness the union of artistic innovation and historical grandeur, fostering a contemplative pilgrimage into the essence of invisibility and resonance. Shelby Knick, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2024 Many millennials and Gen X-ers, in an echo of how older generations used Facebook, have grown more comfortable reading news on Instagram and reposting posts and videos for friends on Instagram Stories, which disappear after 24 hours. Mike Isaac, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2024 Looming in the symposium’s background was the United States’ technological race against China, which has growing echoes of the Cold War. Eva Dou, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2024 When executed with mastery, this symphony resonates with loyalty, turning every happy user into an echo of your brand in the vast marketplace. Ranghan Venkatraman, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024 Dust echoes occur when dust particles are heated up and emit radiation, generally infrared radiation. Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 6 Feb. 2024
Verb
After the game, Canada coach Bev Priestman echoed Foudy’s thoughts. Ben Morse, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024 Returning safety Joseph Charleston echoed that Wednesday. Calum McAndrew, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2024 His three songs do echo the sort of ghostly R&B that has become somewhat standard in the field after the innovation of folks like PartyNextDoor and the Weeknd in the early 2010s, without the same dynamism. Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 7 Mar. 2024 Each peal echoed in the hushed chapel, signaling the end of Brown’s watch. Justin Jouvenal, Washington Post, 4 Mar. 2024 In a 2021 interview with The Daily Beast, Wright echoed that the Reflecting Pool's water was memorably dirty. Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024 Galileo's legacy Galileo's contributions to physics, mathematics and astronomy echo across the ages, earning him a rightful place among history's greatest minds. Maeghan Dolph, Fox News, 3 Mar. 2024 Yet many still treat the distinction as a kind of trademark, a framing often echoed in the press. Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2024 Cuban echoed that sentiment in a CBS Sunday Morning interview a year later. Jane Thier, Fortune, 24 Feb. 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 18 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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