Definition of "backlash" []

• A sudden or violent backward whipping motion. (noun)
• An antagonistic reaction to a trend, development, or event: "As the backlash against divorce progressed, state legislatures . . . called for a rollback of no-fault divorce laws and even for premarital waiting periods” ( Walter Kirn). (noun)
• A snarl formed in the part of a fishing line that is wound around the reel. (noun)
• The play resulting from loose connections between gears or other mechanical elements. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Well, buckle your seat belts: the backlash is here."
• "Because fear of that kind of backlash is the only justification for this that I can think of."
• "That "backlash" is unlikely to materialise, mainly because the core Eurosceptics in the parliamentary party are well aware that the Cameroonies – and Francis Maude in particular - would welcome a showdown, with hard-liners storming out of the party."