the repetition of a sound resulting from reflection of the sound waves
"she could hear echoes of her own footsteps"
(Greek mythology) a nymph who was spurned by Narcissus and pined away until only her voice remained
"According to Ovid, after Narcissus refused her love, Echo faded from sight until she existed solely as the haunting sound of his own name repeating back to him."
a reply that repeats what has just been said
"The empty hall seemed to echo his apology when he whispered it back to himself in the silence."
a reflected television or radio or radar beam
"The technician adjusted the antenna to eliminate the echo from the nearby skyscraper that was interfering with the radar signal."
a close parallel of a feeling, idea, style, etc.
"his contention contains more than an echo of Rousseau"
"Napoleon III was an echo of the mighty Emperor but an infinitely better man"
an imitation or repetition
"the flower arrangement was created as an echo of a client's still life"
A reflected sound that is heard again by its initial observer.
"The shout bounced off the canyon walls, creating a loud echo that made me jump."
In plain English: An echo is a sound that bounces off a surface and comes back to you after the original noise stops.
"The shout bounced back from the canyon walls in a loud echo."
Usage: Use "echo" to describe a distinct repetition of a sound caused by reflection, such as hearing your voice return after shouting in a canyon. Do not use it for general repetitions or repeated words unless they are specifically mimicking an original sound through physical acoustics.
To reflect off a surface and return.
"The shout I made in the canyon bounced back as an echo from the steep cliff face above me."
In plain English: To echo means to repeat what someone else said right after they finish speaking.
"The shout echoed off the canyon walls."
Usage: Use "echo" to describe when a sound bounces off a surface and repeats itself, such as hearing your voice back in a canyon. Do not use it to mean repeating someone's words or ideas unless you are specifically referring to the sound of those words being reflected.
An oread, punished by Hera by losing her own voice and only being able to mimic that of others.
"The nymph's haunting laugh echoed through the valley, a cruel reminder that she could no longer speak for herself but only mimic those around her as punishment from Hera."
The word echo comes from the Latin echō, which was borrowed from Ancient Greek for "sound." Its ultimate origin is likely a Proto-Indo-European root shared with words like sough.