variants
also ricochetting
as in bouncing
to strike and fly off at an angle
the ball ricocheted off the fielder's glove and went over the fence for a home run
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of ricocheting
Authorities said at least three women, all court employees, suffered minor injuries from ricocheting pellets, while media reported that a fourth woman was taken to a hospital as a precaution.
—
Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
The Lakers were cooked, the playoff magic finally drained from a team without its two leading scorers, a team in the process of making every conceivable mistake, reality bouncing off their feet and ricocheting off their hips and falling out of their hands.
—Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026
Two odd passes led to Buendia’s interception ricocheting into Watkins’ path for Villa’s second.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
The children are giggly and boisterous, their voices ricocheting off the walls around us.
—Anderson Tepper, Literary Hub, 30 Mar. 2026
Sound waves ricocheting between buildings stretched out reverberation times and created an uneven acoustic field.
—Yook Jihun, Popular Science, 26 Mar. 2026
Tired legs left Charlotte’s shots ricocheting off the front rim, with Mingo totaling eight points on 3-of-12 shooting, and Bradford notching 12 points on 33% shooting from the field.
—Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 14 Mar. 2026
Wire services and newspaper correspondents sent Patrick’s tale ricocheting from coast to coast and around the world.
—Steven Levingston, Vanity Fair, 23 Feb. 2026
De Jong added to the lead from inside the area in the 32nd and López sealed the victory with a beautiful long-range shot in the 81st, with the ball ricocheting off the post before going into the net.
—ABC News, 22 Feb. 2026
Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
The Lakers were cooked, the playoff magic finally drained from a team without its two leading scorers, a team in the process of making every conceivable mistake, reality bouncing off their feet and ricocheting off their hips and falling out of their hands.
—Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026
Two odd passes led to Buendia’s interception ricocheting into Watkins’ path for Villa’s second.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
The children are giggly and boisterous, their voices ricocheting off the walls around us.
—Anderson Tepper, Literary Hub, 30 Mar. 2026
Sound waves ricocheting between buildings stretched out reverberation times and created an uneven acoustic field.
—Yook Jihun, Popular Science, 26 Mar. 2026
Tired legs left Charlotte’s shots ricocheting off the front rim, with Mingo totaling eight points on 3-of-12 shooting, and Bradford notching 12 points on 33% shooting from the field.
—Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 14 Mar. 2026
Wire services and newspaper correspondents sent Patrick’s tale ricocheting from coast to coast and around the world.
—Steven Levingston, Vanity Fair, 23 Feb. 2026
De Jong added to the lead from inside the area in the 32nd and López sealed the victory with a beautiful long-range shot in the 81st, with the ball ricocheting off the post before going into the net.
—ABC News, 22 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ricocheting
bouncing
Verb
-
Most phases of ice send the rays bouncing in just a couple different directions, since their crystal patterns repeat after a few molecules.—
Shalma Wegsman,
Quanta Magazine,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Alexander sees it differently, pointing instead to how any change would improve the chances of clubs relegated from the EFL bouncing straight back up.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ricocheting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ricocheting. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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