The word "ripple" refers to a small wave or a series of small waves that spread out in water or any other surface. It can also be used to describe the effect of something spreading or influencing other things in a wider area. Full definition
«Manipulating an election in a small developing country doesn't have the same sort of ripple effect of electing Donald Trump into the White House,» Wylie said. (washingtonpost.com)
Scientists may have spotted signs of an analogous phenomenon in ripples of water. (sciencenews.org)
As Govert Schilling ably explains in Ripples in Spacetime, LIGO's detection of gravitational waves in the US «marked the start of a completely new chapter in the history of astronomy». (newscientist.com)