Word

echo

noun C1

UK /ˈɛk.əʊ/

US /ˈɛk.oʊ/

Meanings

noun

A repeated sound heard after the original sound because it reflects off a surface.

verb

To repeat a sound or words, or to make a sound happen again in a place due to reflection.

noun

A close repetition of an idea, feeling, or event; something that strongly resembles an earlier thing.

Definition

An echo is a sound that is heard again because it reflects off a surface.

An echo is a repeated sound caused by sound waves bouncing off a wall, mountain, or other surface and returning to the listener. You often hear an echo in large empty rooms, tunnels, or outdoor valleys. The word can also describe something that closely repeats or reminds people of an earlier idea or event.

Examples

I heard an echo after I called out in the empty stairwell.
You can hear an echo in this hall whenever you clap your hands.
She paused because her voice produced a sharp echo in the tunnel.
They argued that the speech was an echo of earlier promises rather than a new plan.
The lecturer’s final point was an echo of what the class had been debating all week.

Common mistake

Learners sometimes confuse echo (a repeated sound) with shadow (a dark shape caused by blocked light).