chain reaction
noun [C]Definition
› a set of related events in which each event causes the next one, or a chemical reaction in which each change causes another: The war risked setting off a perilous chain reaction that would endanger the whole world.Order and sequenceSimultaneous and consecutiveReacting and responding
(Definition of chain reaction noun from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus
© Cambridge University Press)
Browse related topics
You are looking at an entry to do with Reacting and responding, but you might be interested in these topics from the Doing and achieving topic area:
- Abstaining and refraining
- Acting and acts
- Avoiding action
- Becoming better
- Cancelling and interrupting
- Competing and contending (non-sporting)
- Coping and not coping
- Delaying and wasting time
- Describing the leading position
- Efficient and effective
- Expressions telling people to hurry up
- Failing and doing badly
- Failures
- Getting involved for one's own benefit or against others' will
- Hesitating
- Higher and lower points of achievement
- Hurrying and doing things quickly
- Making progress and advancing
- Making things better
- Performing a function
- Potential
- Repeating an action
- Succeeding, achieving and fulfilling
- Success and achievements
- Successful (things or people)
- Surpassing in quality or number
- Taking part and getting involved
- Trying and making an effort
- Unsuccessful (people and things)
- Waiting
- Ways of achieving things
Browse the Dictionary
Browse the Thesaurus
SMART Thesaurus
Synonyms and related words:
- alert adjective
- and the same to you with (brass) knobs on idiom
- backlash noun
- counteract verb
- countermeasure noun
- go over phrasal verb
- greet verb
- hair-trigger adjective
- reactive adjective
- receive verb (WELCOME)
- recoil verb
- reflexive adjective (MOVEMENT)
- reflexively adverb
- respond verb
- response noun
- responsive adjective
- rise to the occasion/challenge idiom
- sensitive adjective (REACTING EASILY)
- shock wave noun
- wake (sb) up phrasal verb (REACT)
Topic:
Reacting and responding
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Word of the Day
a cloud on the horizon
something which threatens to cause problems or unhappiness in the future
Blog
Read our blog about how the English language behaves.
New Words
Find words and meanings that have just started to be used in English, and let us know what you think of them.
