MEANING
To bounce or deflect away after striking a surface.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- ricochet off stone
- ricochet across a wall
On the page
The fragment ricocheted off the railing.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- ricochet
- Past tense
- ricocheted
- Past participle
- ricocheted
- Present participle
- ricocheting
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- ricochet
- Present continuous
- am/is/are ricocheting
- Present perfect
- have/has ricocheted
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been ricocheting
- Past
- ricocheted
- Past continuous
- was/were ricocheting
- Past perfect
- had ricocheted
- Past perfect continuous
- had been ricocheting
- Future
- will ricochet
- Future continuous
- will be ricocheting
- Future perfect
- will have ricocheted
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been ricocheting
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: ricochet; ricochets; ricocheted; ricocheted; ricocheting Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: description, character, dialogue. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: ricochets.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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