echo
echo — noun
1. a sound that you hear a second time because it travelled to a large hard area an
a sound that you hear a second time because it travelled to a large hard area and then came back to your ears
Mira heard the echo of her own voice bounce back from the canyon walls.
structure: the echo of + [source]
The echo in the empty hall made the speaker's words hard to understand.
collocation: echo in + [place]
When Jin shouted into the old well, a clear echo returned after two seconds.
The children clapped their hands in the cave and laughed at the echo that followed.
An echo can help people measure the depth of a tunnel or a large cave.
- reverberation
more formal; describes a sound that vibrates continuously rather than repeating once
- reflection
broader term that includes light, heat, and radio waves, not just sound
用法筆記
Countable noun. Often used with 'of' to name the source of the reflected sound (an echo of footsteps, an echo of a voice).
常見錯誤
2. a quality or detail in a person, place, or thing that makes you think of another
a quality or detail in a person, place, or thing that makes you think of another person, place, or thing because of a likeness
The new station's design is an echo of railway buildings from the 1920s.
structure: an echo of + [something from the past]
Ritu saw echoes of her grandmother's recipes in the dishes her mother prepared.
pattern: echoes of + [source/origin]
The speech contained echoes of a famous address given twenty years earlier.
That song has echoes of the folk music I heard as a child.
The building's design contains echoes of both Eastern and Western architectural styles.
- trace
suggests a weaker, smaller similarity — a trace is barely visible
- reminder
more general; anything that makes you remember, not necessarily a similarity in form
- reflection
suggests a more direct, intentional mirroring rather than a faint resemblance
用法筆記
Often used in the plural form 'echoes' when referring to multiple similarities or influences. The source of resemblance is usually introduced by 'of'.
常見錯誤
echo — verb
1. A sound echoes when it hits a large hard area and comes back so that people hear
A sound echoes when it hits a large hard area and comes back so that people hear it again; a large space echoes as a sound bounces repeatedly off its walls
The sound of their footsteps echoed through the long, empty corridor of the building.
intransitive: echo + through + [place]
The children's laughter echoed across the playground of the old school.
intransitive: echo + across + [place]
The valley echoed with the bell sound from the small church at noon.
The walls of the concert hall echoed the musician's trumpet beautifully.
Hoa shouted into the cave and heard her own voice echo back to her twice.
- reverberate
more formal; suggests a prolonged, vibrating sound rather than a single repeat
- resound
more literary; emphasizes that the place is filled with the sound
- bounce back
informal phrasal verb focusing on the physical reflection
文法句型
echo + through/across + [place]
[place] + echo(es) with + [sound]
[place] + echo(es) + [sound]
用法筆記
When used intransitively, the subject is the sound (Their shouts echoed). When used transitively, the subject is the space and the object is the sound (The tunnel echoed their shouts). For places filled with sound, use 'echo with' (The room echoed with music).
常見錯誤
2. to repeat or closely resemble an opinion, style, idea, or quality that belongs t
to repeat or closely resemble an opinion, style, idea, or quality that belongs to someone or something else
The new law echoes similar rules already in place in several other countries.
transitive: echo + [policy/law/rules]
Hugo echoed his professor's opinion during the class discussion.
transitive: echo + [opinion/view]
The film's final scene echoes the opening shot in a clever way.
Many politicians simply echo the views of their party without thinking for themselves.
The colourful patterns in the dress echo the traditional designs of West African cloth.
- contradict
to express the opposite view or style
文法句型
echo + [opinion/style/sentiment]
用法筆記
Transitive only. The object is usually abstract — an opinion, idea, style, sentiment, or theme. This sense often carries a slightly critical tone when used about people who repeat without original thought.