backlash Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun a movement back from an impact
repercussion; rebound; recoil.
noun an adverse reaction to some political or social occurrence
- there was a backlash of intolerance
verb come back to the originator of an action with an undesired effect
recoil; backfire.
- Your comments may backfire and cause you a lot of trouble

Back , adv. + lash.

(Mech.) The distance through which one part of connected machinery, as a wheel, piston, or screw, can be moved without moving the connected parts, resulting from looseness in fitting or from wear; also, the jarring or reflex motion caused in badly fitting machinery by irregularities in velocity or a reverse of motion.