butterfly effect

noun

: a property of chaotic systems (such as the atmosphere) by which small changes in initial conditions can lead to large-scale and unpredictable variation in the future state of the system

Examples of butterfly effect in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web For time travel without all the butterfly effect nonsense, take a drive to Bisbee. Meredith G. White, The Arizona Republic, 22 June 2024 And who knows what kind of butterfly effect a loss there might have had in the tight NL wild card race, where, counting tiebreakers, the Diamondbacks finished two games ahead of the seventh-place Cubs? Jerry Beach, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024 Credit: Everett Several Twilight Zone episodes tackle the butterfly effect with time travel stories. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 21 Apr. 2023 This brainy series imagines a butterfly effect leading to a more robust space exploration program and reshaping our history and culture. Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 25 Jan. 2024 See all Example Sentences for butterfly effect 

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

Word History

First Known Use

1976, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of butterfly effect was in 1976

Dictionary Entries Near butterfly effect

Cite this Entry

“Butterfly effect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/butterfly%20effect. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.

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