What does "ripple" mean?
A moving disturbance, or undulation, in the surface of a fluid.
Ripple
name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·2 syllables ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A moving disturbance, or undulation, in the surface of a fluid.
- Grammar: ripple is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: wavelet, aftereffect, agitate, agitation.
- Useful contrasts: calm, concentrate, flatness.
- Usage evidence: The French language, by the way, is a clear stream that affected writers have never been, and will never be able to ripple. Each century has thrown in this limpid current its fashions, its pretentious archaisms and its preciousness, without anything surfacing from those useless attempts, those powerless efforts. The nature of this language is to be clear, logical and nervous. It won't let itself be weakened, obscured or corrupted.
How to use "ripple"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "ripple" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- 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 "ripple" 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 "ripple" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "ripple" 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 "ripple" is acting as name, noun, verb 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 "wavelet" 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 "ripple", 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 A moving disturbance, or undulation, in the surface of a fluid.
"I dropped a small stone into the pond and watched the ripples spread."
- 2 An implement, with teeth like those of a comb, for removing the seeds and seed vessels from flax, broom corn, etc.
- 3 thripple, cart ladder (extension for cart or wagon) dialectal, historical
- 4 a small wave on the surface of a liquid wordnet
- 5 One of a series of corrugations in flat surface.
"The ebbing tide had left ripples in the sand."
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 (electronics) an oscillation of small amplitude imposed on top of a steady value wordnet
- 7 A sound similar to that of undulating water.
- 8 A style of ice cream in which flavors have been coarsely blended together.
"I enjoy fudge ripple ice cream, but I especially like to dig through the carton to get at the ripple part and eat only that."
- 9 A small oscillation of an otherwise steady signal.
- 10 A small spreading change, impact, or effect produced by a larger or more consequential action. figuratively
"Investments in research, deployment and scaling existing technologies are the initial ripples that will have to build to a groundswell of further action."
Verb
- 1 To move like the undulating surface of a body of water; to undulate. intransitive
- 2 To scratch, tear, or break slightly; graze transitive
"An horsemans javelin[…]having slightly rippled the skinne of his left arme, pierced within his short ribs."
- 3 To remove the seeds from (the stalks of flax, etc.), by means of a ripple.
- 4 stir up (water) so as to form ripples wordnet
- 5 To propagate like a moving wave. intransitive
"These problems were complicated by a foreign exchange crunch which rippled through the economy in 1961-1962, […]"
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 flow in an irregular current with a bubbling noise wordnet
- 7 To make a sound as of water running gently over a rough bottom, or the breaking of ripples on the shore. intransitive
- 8 To shape into a series of ripples. transitive
- 9 To launch or unleash in rapid succession. transitive
"Hearns' 'Mech rippled fifteen missiles. Austen watched the missiles go in. They smashed into a copse of trees, smashing the trunks aside."
Proper Noun
- 1 A village and civil parish in Dover district, Kent, England (OS grid ref TR3450). countable, uncountable
- 2 A village and civil parish in Malvern Hills district, Worcestershire, England (OS grid ref SO8737). countable, uncountable
- 3 A surname. countable, uncountable
Antonyms
Example
"The French language, by the way, is a clear stream that affected writers have never been, and will never be able to ripple. Each century has thrown in this limpid current its fashions, its pretentious archaisms and its preciousness, without anything surfacing from those useless attempts, those powerless efforts. The nature of this language is to be clear, logical and nervous. It won't let itself be weakened, obscured or corrupted."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "ripple"?
Common synonyms include: wavelet, aftereffect, agitate, agitation, babble, babble.
How do you use "ripple" in a sentence?
The French language, by the way, is a clear stream that affected writers have never been, and will never be able to ripple. Each century has thrown in this limpid current its fashions, its pretentious archaisms and its preciousness, without anything surfacing from those useless attempts, those powerless efforts. The nature of this language is to be clear, logical and nervous. It won't let itself be weakened, obscured or corrupted.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From an alteration of rimple.
Etymology 2
From Middle English *ripelen, repulen, equivalent to rip + -le (frequentative suffix).
Etymology 3
Compare German Low German Repel, Dutch repel, German Riffel, extended forms (with instrumental or diminutive -le) of Low German Repe (“ripple”), Dutch repe (“ripple”). Compare also Dutch repen, German reffen, Swedish repa (“to beat; ripple”). The verb is from Middle English ripplen, rypelen. Compare Low German repelen, Dutch repelen, German riffeln.
Etymology 4
Dialectal form of thripple.