From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishchain reactionˌchain reˈaction noun [countable] 1 technical a chemical or nuclear reaction which produces energy and causes more reactions of the same kind2 RESULTa series of related events, each of which causes the next A sudden drop on Wall Street can set off a chain reaction in other financial markets.
Examples from the Corpus
chain reaction• Interstate 35 was closed following a chain reaction crash that involved 93 vehicles.• The demise of Woosung could have a chain reaction on other subcontractors relying on a government helping hand, analysts said.• In a chain reaction on a world scale, prices on innumerable commodities skyrocketed within weeks.• Instability would spread like a chain reaction.• The authorities have so far managed to prevent a chain reaction.• Bombs in the magazine detonate in chain reaction in a split second.• The atom splits, starting a nuclear chain reaction.• This is the famous nuclear chain reaction.• Products of the chain reaction were fractionated by size in agarose gels to detect the presence of insertions or deletions. 