echo

ech·o / ˈekō/ • n. (pl. ech·oes) 1. a sound or series of sounds caused by the reflection of sound waves from a surface back to the listener: the walls threw back the echoes of his footsteps. ∎  a reflected radio or radar beam. ∎  the deliberate introduction of reverberation into a sound recording. ∎  Linguistics the repetition in structure and content of one speaker's utterance by another. ∎  a close parallel or repetition of an idea, feeling, style, or event: his love for her found an echo in her own feelings. ∎  (often echoes) a detail or characteristic that is suggestive of something else: the cheese has a sharp rich aftertaste with echoes of salty, earthy pastures. 2. Bridge a play by a defender of a higher card in a suit followed by a lower one in a subsequent trick, used as a signal to request a further lead of that suit by their partner. 3. a code word representing the letter E, used in radio communication. • v. (ech·oes, ech·oed) [intr.] 1. (of a sound) be repeated or reverberate after the original sound has stopped: their footsteps echoed on the metal catwalks. ∎  (of a place) resound with or reflect back a sound or sounds: the house echoed with shouts and thundering feet. ∎ fig. have a continued significance or influence: illiteracy echoed through the whole fabric of society. ∎  [tr.] (often be echoed) repeat (someone's words or opinions), typically to express agreement: these criticisms are echoed in a number of other studies ∎  [tr.] Comput. send a copy of (an input signal or character) back to its source or to a screen for display: for security reasons, the password will not be echoed to the screen. 2. Bridge (of a defender) play a higher card followed by a lower one in the same suit, as a signal to request one's partner to lead that suit. DERIVATIVES: ech·o·er n. ech·o·ey / ˈekō-ē/ adj.