How to Use ricochet in a Sentence

ricochet

1 of 2 noun
  • He was hit by a ricochet.
  • Buzelis caught the ricochet and slammed it through the rim.
    — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026
  • Due to the haste, my pants garner a ricochet stain or two.
    — Matt Moore, Southern Living, 13 Jan. 2026
  • That would raise the odds of a soft landing or maybe even a lucky ricochet.
    — Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2023
  • Do not shoot at a hard flat surface like a cliff face to avoid ricochets.
    — Jacob Wilt, jsonline.com, 25 Nov. 2025
  • The ricochet is too hot to handle, though, and is turned over the ball.
    — Andrew Das, New York Times, 24 June 2018
  • The ricochet caused the ball to go through the back of the end zone for a safety.
    — David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 27 Sep. 2022
  • He was grazed in the side, and then struck again by the bullet’s ricochet.
    — New York Times, 19 May 2018
  • The ball bounced out of the basket on the ricochet, but that basket counts.
    — Scott Horner, The Indianapolis Star, 17 Feb. 2022
  • In the process, the officer killed a young girl with a ricochet.
    — Ryan Cooper, The Week, 29 Dec. 2021
  • The umpires didn’t see the ball land over the fence and ricochet back onto the field.
    — Ryan Divish, The Seattle Times, 28 Apr. 2017
  • His descent was described as more of a ricochet down an icy chute than a freefall through space.
    — The Editors, Outside Online, 24 Feb. 2015
  • The hunter, who police did not identify, saw the round ricochet off the ground.
    — baltimoresun.com, 1 Dec. 2019
  • Even as rhymes ricochet about, the whole seems to eddy from the walls into the room’s center.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 31 Oct. 2019
  • The sounds and ricochets seemed to be coming from all directions.
    — Noah Weiland, New York Times, 10 June 2018
  • Webb hauled in the ricochet and returned it to the Bengals’ 2-yard line.
    — Jeff Zrebiec, baltimoresun.com, 10 Sep. 2017
  • Bogaerts was able to play the ricochet at shortstop and throw out Miller at first for the second out.
    — Julian Benbow, BostonGlobe.com, 27 July 2022
  • Thomas Amang, if only as a threat, helped to turn a ricochet into the game-winning goal.
    — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Mar. 2022
  • In the second slam, Grant flew in for an ricochet rebound and stuffed the ball home early in the fourth.
    — Mike Singer, The Denver Post, 25 Oct. 2019
  • Thomas Gross was a ricochet and Song did not have a gun in his hands until one was pointed at him.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Mar. 2026
  • Bullet fragments from target shooting are hot enough to start a wildfire, as could a spark from a ricochet.
    — Bryan Schott, The Salt Lake Tribune, 12 June 2021
  • With Meacham also getting hit, did one bottle ricochet off one coach did the other?
    — Nathan Ruiz, ajc, 14 Nov. 2017
  • The ball ricochet toward the plate, but Senzel made it easily with his speed.
    — Bobby Nightengale, The Enquirer, 16 May 2021
  • When British skip Bruce Mouat failed to knock it out on a ricochet, the Swedes had clinched it.
    — San Francisco Chronicle, 19 Feb. 2022
  • Correa grabbed the ricochet with his bare hand as the Yankees' leadoff hitter touched third base.
    — Chandler Rome, Houston Chronicle, 14 Oct. 2019
  • Most of these are small, high-velocity rounds with high lethality and low ricochet risk.
    — David Szondy april 19, New Atlas, 19 Apr. 2026
  • As with so much in Washington these days, there is little telling the ricochet’s effect.
    — Philip Elliott, Time, 14 May 2020
  • The ball Altuve hit came off the wall so hard that Heredia was standing there and caught it off the ricochet.
    — Ryan Divish, The Seattle Times, 19 July 2017
  • Kiermaier, racing over from center to back up on the play, was in perfect position to catch the ricochet.
    — Paul Newberry, Star Tribune, 29 July 2020
  • Like everyone else around him, Luis had watched Covid-19 ricochet around the world.
    — Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Apr. 2020

ricochet

2 of 2 verb
  • The bullet ricocheted off the wall.
  • Houck fell to both knees as the ball ricocheted to third base.
    — Peter Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, 16 June 2023
  • This news ricocheted around the globe.
    — Patricia Callahan, ProPublica, 19 Mar. 2026
  • Reaves chucked up a line drive that ricocheted off the front of the rim and toward his left.
    — Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2026
  • Naeher got her hands up to stop it; the ball ricocheted into the air.
    — Sean Gregory, Time, 6 Aug. 2023
  • One bullet ricocheted off the metal door, while two shots went through the door.
    — Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 20 Aug. 2025
  • Pain ricocheted through my lower back with every step.
    — Dimity McDowell, Time, 24 Feb. 2026
  • This is just one of those songs that ricocheted me back onto a different path.
    — Jill Mapes, Pitchfork, 20 Nov. 2023
  • His second shot ricocheted off a tree, and his third landed in a greenside bunker.
    — Zach Powell, New York Times, 12 June 2026
  • The metallic object crashed through the roof of a house and ricocheted around a bedroom.
    — Jackie Wattles, CNN, 9 May 2023
  • News of the deaths ricocheted through the prison system, spreading fear and unease.
    — Jennifer Gonnerman, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
  • The virus, which emerged in Asia and spread to the West, is at risk of ricocheting back.
    — Motoko Rich, BostonGlobe.com, 31 Mar. 2020
  • The ball ricocheted off Chaney's fingertips and out of bounds.
    — Scottie Bordelon, Arkansas Online, 14 Dec. 2019
  • The puck ricocheted off Reinhart's stick and into the net.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 20 Feb. 2026
  • The puck ricocheted off Mrázek’s skate and then Helleson’s.
    — Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 27 Nov. 2025
  • The ball ricocheted off the ground and then into the air and into the hands of two Heat players.
    — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
  • The moment ricocheted through the Gotham Awards.
    — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 9 Jan. 2026
  • Throughout a year of ricocheting among genres, Smith has kept a mantra close to his chest.
    — Sophia Solano, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2026
  • But the new signage means that any punt that goes above 90 feet is going to hit the sign and ricochet back to the ground.
    — Dallas News, 19 Sep. 2022
  • The report ricocheted through the right-wing pundit universe.
    — Hanna Krueger, BostonGlobe.com, 15 July 2023
  • Laos, then jumps across decades and continents as characters ricochet around the world.
    — Washington Post, 19 Nov. 2020
  • Nichushkin had shots ricochet off both posts earlier in the third period.
    — ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
  • Now, many more games are played in prime time, and big plays — even injuries — swiftly ricochet across the internet.
    — Ken Belson, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2023
  • However, the ball bounced off Basallo’s gear and ricocheted away from the plate.
    — Liana Handler, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2026
  • Pastrnak’s sizzling one-timer, his trademark shot, went wide left of the near post and ricocheted sharply off the rear wall.
    — Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Apr. 2023
  • Kluber would later yield a solo shot to Brennan in the eighth that ricocheted off the foul pole in right.
    — Julian McWilliams, BostonGlobe.com, 8 June 2023
  • And so, as that phone recording ricocheted among staff and alumni, many have become more emboldened to speak out.
    — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 20 Apr. 2023
  • The pop of gunfire ricocheted through the streets, and the demonstrators started running for their lives.
    — John Eligon Joao Silva, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2024
  • The ball ricocheted off Holmes’ leg into foul territory on the first-base side.
    — Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 16 May 2026
  • Lewandowski's goal was a fortuitous one as the ball ricocheted off his leg while a defender tried to clear it from in front of the net.
    — Tales Azzoni, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ricochet.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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