Meanings
plural domino effects
- The situation in which one event sets off a chain of additional events.
While the move has, for now, calmed fears of a repeat of a 2008-style domino effect, the merger has left Switzerland with a new megabank on Paradeplatz square.
2023 March 22, Philip Oltermann, “Switzerland’s national pride dealt heavy blow by the merger of its banking titans”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 31 Mar 2023 - historicalgovernmentThe theory that, if South Vietnam became communist, it would be followed by Cambodia, Laos, and additional countries in Southeast Asia and beyond.
Synonyms: domino theory
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe theory that, if South Vietnam became communist, it would be followed by Cambodia, Laos, and additional countries in Southeast Asia and beyond.
Origin
An allusion to a row of dominoes in which the fall of one leads to a cascade of falling pieces.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic تأثير الدومينو
- تأثير الدومينوchain of events
Basque domino-efektu
- domino-efektuchain of events
Bengali ডমিনো ইফেক্ট
- ডমিনো ইফেক্ট (ḍominō iphekṭo)chain of events
Catalan efecte dòmino
- efecte dòminochain of events
Chinese Mandarin 骨牌效應 /骨牌效应, 多米諾效應 /多米诺效应
- 骨牌效應 /骨牌效应 (gǔpái xiàoyìng)chain of events
- 多米諾效應 /多米诺效应 (duōmǐnuò xiàoyìng)chain of events
- 多米諾骨牌效應 /多米诺骨牌效应 (duōmǐnuògǔpái xiàoyìng)chain of events
Czech dominový efekt, domino efekt
- dominový efektchain of events
- domino efektchain of events
Danish dominoeffekt
- dominoeffektchain of events
Dutch domino-effect
- domino-effectchain of events
Estonian doominoefekt
- doominoefektchain of events
Finnish dominoteoria, dominoefekti
- dominoteoriatheory of encroaching communism
- dominoefektichain of events
French effet domino
- effet dominochain of events
German Dominoeffekt, Dominoeffekt
- Dominoeffekttheory of encroaching communism
- Dominoeffektchain of events
Greek φαινόμενο ντόμινο, φαινόμενο ντόμινο
- φαινόμενο ντόμινο (fainómeno ntómino)theory of encroaching communism
- φαινόμενο ντόμινο (fainómeno ntómino)chain of events
Hebrew אפקט הדומינו
- אפקט הדומינוchain of events
Hungarian dominóhatás
- dominóhatáschain of events
Indonesian efek domino
- efek dominochain of events
Italian effetto domino
- effetto dominochain of events
Japanese ドミノ効果
- ドミノ効果 (domino kōka)chain of events
Korean 도미노 효과
- 도미노 효과 (domino hyogwa)chain of events
Malay kesan domino
- kesan dominochain of events
Norwegian dominoeffekt
- dominoeffektchain of events
Polish efekt domina, efekt domina
- efekt dominatheory of encroaching communism
- efekt dominachain of events
Portuguese efeito dominó
- efeito dominóchain of events
Romanian efect domino
- efect dominochain of events
Russian эффе́кт домино́, принцип домино
- эффе́кт домино́ (effékt dominó)chain of events
- принцип домино (princip domino)chain of events
Spanish teoría del dominó, efecto dominó
- teoría del dominótheory of encroaching communism
- efecto dominóchain of events
Swedish dominoeffekt
- dominoeffektchain of events
Turkish domino kuramı, domino etkisi
- domino kuramıtheory of encroaching communism
- domino etkisichain of events
Ukrainian принцип доміно
- принцип доміно (pryncyp domino)chain of events
Vietnamese hiệu ứng domino
- hiệu ứng dominochain of events
Cite this entry
domino effect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/domino%20effect
“domino effect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/domino%20effect. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “domino effect,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/domino%20effect.
Source: domino effect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.