Cascade

/kæsˈkeɪd/ name, noun, verb, slang

name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: A waterfall or series of small waterfalls.
  • Grammar: cascade is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: avalanche, avalanches, bag, barf.
  • Useful contrasts: ascend, contain, isolated incident.
  • Usage evidence: As this is a cascade with multiple layers, it shouldn't be surprising that it's slow.

How to use "cascade"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "cascade" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "cascade" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "cascade" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "cascade" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "cascade" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "avalanche" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "cascade", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A waterfall or series of small waterfalls.

    "Now murm'ring soft, now roaring in cascade."

  2. 2
    a sudden downpour (as of tears or sparks etc.) likened to a rain shower wordnet
  3. 3
    A stream or sequence of a thing or things occurring as if falling like a cascade. figuratively

    "2001, Richard Restak, The Secret Life of the Brain, Joseph Henry Press The rise in serotonin levels sets off a cascade of chemical events"

  4. 4
    a succession of stages or operations or processes or units wordnet
  5. 5
    A series of electrical (or other types of) components, the output of any one being connected to the input of the next.
Show 5 more definitions
  1. 6
    a small waterfall or series of small waterfalls wordnet
  2. 7
    A pattern typically performed with an odd number of props, where each prop is caught by the opposite hand.
  3. 8
    A sequence of absurd short messages posted to a newsgroup by different authors, each one responding to the most recent message and quoting the entire sequence to that point (with ever-increasing indentation). Internet

    "Don't you hate cascades? I hate cascades!"

  4. 9
    A hairpiece for women consisting of curled locks or a bun attached to a firm base, used to create the illusion of fuller hair.

    "A cascade can be added to one or both sides of the band to work well with longer hair."

  5. 10
    A series of reactions in which the product of one becomes a reactant in the next
Verb
  1. 1
    To fall as a waterfall or series of small waterfalls. intransitive

    "Services between Glasgow Queen Street and Edinburgh Waverley via Falkirk High are currently suspended, following a 30-metre breach of the Union Canal that occurred on August 12 after torrential rain and thunderstorms. The thousands of gallons of water that cascaded onto the railway line below washed away track, ballast and overhead line equipment, and undermined embankments along a 300-metre section of Scotland's busiest rail link."

  2. 2
    arrange (open windows) on a computer desktop so that they overlap each other, with the title bars visible wordnet
  3. 3
    To arrange in a stepped series like a waterfall. transitive

    "No matter how you tile or cascade the windows, each window's Minimize, Maximize, and Restore buttons work as usual."

  4. 4
    rush down in big quantities, like a cascade wordnet
  5. 5
    To occur as a causal sequence. intransitive

    "Child folders inherit the configuration of their parent folder, meaning that configuration settings cascade down through an application's virtual folder hierarchy."

Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    To pass (something) down through a chain or system in a flow or series of movements. transitive

    "Relief arrived at Cardiff Canton depot on 1 September in the shape of the first of 12 Class 170 units cascaded from Greater Anglia."

  2. 7
    To vomit. archaic, slang

    "Then he began to choke. The next thing I knew, he cascaded onto my new carpet."

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Plumas County, California.
  2. 2
    A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Cascade-Chipita Park census-designated place, El Paso County, Colorado.
  3. 3
    A number of places in the United States:; A small city, the county seat of Valley County, Idaho.
  4. 4
    A number of places in the United States:; A city in Dubuque County and Jones County, Iowa.
  5. 5
    A number of places in the United States:; A township in Kent County, Michigan.
Show 16 more definitions
  1. 6
    A number of places in the United States:; A township in Olmsted County, Minnesota.
  2. 7
    A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Wayne County, Missouri.
  3. 8
    A number of places in the United States:; A town in Cascade County, Montana.
  4. 9
    A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Cherry County, Nebraska.
  5. 10
    A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in the city of Berlin and town of Gorham, Coos County, New Hampshire.
  6. 11
    A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Putnam County, Ohio.
  7. 12
    A number of places in the United States:; A township in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania.
  8. 13
    A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Pittsylvania County, Virginia.
  9. 14
    A number of places in the United States:; A neighbourhood of Seattle, Washington.
  10. 15
    A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Preston County, West Virginia.
  11. 16
    A number of places in the United States:; A village in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin.
  12. 17
    A settlement in Hanover parish, Jamaica.
  13. 18
    An administrative district on Mahé, Seychelles.
  14. 19
    A locality near Burnt Pine, Norfolk Island.
  15. 20
    A locality in the Bellingen council area, north-eastern New South Wales, Australia.
  16. 21
    A town in the Shire of Esperance, Western Australia.

Synonyms

All synonyms
avalancheavalanchesbagbarfbelchbring up

Antonyms

ascendcontainisolated incidentlocalize

Example

"As this is a cascade with multiple layers, it shouldn't be surprising that it's slow."

Common questions

What does "cascade" mean?

A waterfall or series of small waterfalls.

What is a synonym for "cascade"?

Common synonyms include: avalanche, avalanches, bag, barf, belch, bring up.

How do you use "cascade" in a sentence?

As this is a cascade with multiple layers, it shouldn't be surprising that it's slow.

How do you pronounce "cascade"?

Pronounced /kæsˈkeɪd/.

Etymology

From French cascade, from Italian cascata, from cascare (“to fall”), from Vulgar Latin *cāsicāre, derived from Latin cadere, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱh₂d-.

More for "cascade"

Synonyms

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