echo
- 1A sound that bounces back to you so you hear it again.
Like throwing a ball at a wall and having it bounce back to you.
We shouted into the canyon and heard our echo a moment later.
The echo of the church bells faded slowly over the rooftops.
UsageMore than one is echoes.
Similarreverberation, resonance, reflection
Note
- 2To say again what someone else has said or thought.
Like copying down the same answer your friend gave.
The children echoed the teacher's words one line at a time.
Don't just echo other people's opinions without thinking.
UsageOften used like said after a quote, or in the passive: her views were echoed by others.
Similarrepeat, parrot, reiterate, mirror, copy
Oppositecontradict
Note
- 3For a sound to bounce back so you hear it again, or for a place to make sounds bounce back.
Like a ball bouncing back off a wall.
His shout echoed across the valley before fading away.
Loud noises echo inside the empty cave.
UsageA sound echoes, and a room echoes with sound.
Similarresound, reverberate, resonate, ring
- 4Something that reminds you of an earlier thing.
Like seeing your grandfather's smile in your own child.
The new town hall is an echo of an ancient Roman temple.
Her paintings carry an echo of her old teacher's style.
UsageSay something is an echo of an older thing.
Similartrace, hint, reminder, reflection, evocation
Note
- 5Of news or opinions, to spread and be repeated by many people.
Like one voice in a crowd that everyone starts repeating.
The rumor echoed through the whole town within a day.
Worries about the storm echo across the village.
Similarreverberate, resound, circulate, spread, ring
- 6A response that shows someone shares your feelings.
Like calling out and hearing friends call back to support you.
Her plea for help found an echo in every heart in the room.
Her words about missing home found an echo in the new students.
UsageSay words find an echo in people who feel the same.
Similarresponse, resonance, sympathy
Note
- 7A small, indirect result of something that happened.
Like small ripples left on a pond after a stone has sunk.
The scandal left only a faint echo in the next election.
We still feel a small echo of last year's budget cuts.
Similarripple, trace, vestige, remnant, reverberation
- 8Short for echocardiogram: a heart scan that uses sound waves.
The doctor sent him for an echo to look at his heart.
Her echo came back normal, so the nurse let her go home.
UsageCommon patterns: have an echo, do an echo, order an echo.
Note
Less common meanings
- 9A reply that repeats the words someone just said.
Like a parrot saying back the words you just spoke.
Her answer was just an echo of the question I had asked.
The toddler's reply came back as a faint echo of mine.
Similarrepetition, reiteration, parroting, copy
- 10To send the same input a device receives straight on to another device or system.
Like passing a note to one friend who copies it and hands it on to the next.
The hub echoes each signal it gets to the other machines.
You can set the program to echo your data to another computer.
Similarrepeat, relay, mirror, forward
Note
- 11Alternative letter-case form of Echo from the NATO/ICAO Phonetic Alphabet. It stands for the letter E when you spell words aloud.
She read the code aloud: echo, foxtrot, golf.
Say echo for the E so the dispatcher hears it clearly.
Note
- 12The way a computer shows back on screen the command you just typed.
Like a screen showing back the numbers you just pressed so you can check them.
Turn echo off so your password does not appear on screen.
With echo on, each letter you type shows up on the screen.
UsageSay turn echo off or turn echo on.
Note
- 13A poem trick where a line ends with a word that sounds like the last word of the line before.
- 14Three pairs of brackets put around a name online to mark a person as Jewish, used to attack, or to show pride.
- 15A single online message group on the old echomail network, where members post and read messages.
- 16In card games like bridge, a way of playing cards that tells your partner how many you hold.
- 17In card games, to give a signal that tells your partner about the cards you hold.
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origin
It comes from Ancient Greek 'ēkhō', from 'ēkhē' meaning 'sound', which reached English through Latin.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts
- Echo derives from Ancient Greek ēkhō. en.wiktionary.org
- Greek ēkhō derives from ēkhē. en.wiktionary.org
- Greek ēkhē means sound. en.wiktionary.org
- The word reached English through Latin. en.wiktionary.org