rebound
Americanverb (used without object)
-
rebounds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
rebounded,
past participle, past
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rebounding
present participle
-
to bound or spring back from force of impact.
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to recover, as from ill health or discouragement.
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Basketball. to gain hold of rebounds.
a forward who rebounds well off the offensive board.
verb (used with object)
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rebounds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
rebounded,
past participle, past
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rebounding
present participle
-
to cause to bound back; cast back.
-
Basketball. to gain hold of (a rebound).
The guard rebounded the ball in backcourt.
noun
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rebounds
plural
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the act of rebounding; recoil.
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Basketball.
-
a ball that bounces off the backboard or the rim of the basket.
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an instance of gaining hold of such a ball.
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Ice Hockey. a puck that bounces off the gear or person of a goalkeeper attempting to make a save.
idioms
verb
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to spring back, as from a sudden impact
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to misfire, esp so as to hurt the perpetrator
the plan rebounded
noun
-
the act or an instance of rebounding
-
-
in the act of springing back
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informal in a state of recovering from rejection, disappointment, etc
he married her on the rebound from an unhappy love affair
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Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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reboundsimple
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reboundssimple
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have reboundedperfect
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has reboundedperfect
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am reboundingprogressive
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are reboundingprogressive
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is reboundingprogressive
-
have been reboundingperfect progressive
-
has been reboundingperfect progressive
Past
-
reboundedsimple
-
had reboundedperfect
-
was reboundingprogressive
-
were reboundingprogressive
-
had been reboundingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of rebound
1300–50; Middle English (v.) < Middle French rebondir, equivalent to Old French re- re- + bondir to bound 2
Explanation
To rebound is to come back from a slump. You might rebound from an illness, or your country might rebound from an economic recession. Like many words that start with the prefix re, rebound involves something happening again. In this case, to rebound is to bounce back to a previous state or condition. When you start to feel happy again after your heart gets broken, you rebound. If the stock market crashes and then returns to a healthy level, it rebounds.
Vocabulary lists containing rebound
Defense, Dribble, and Dunk: Basketball Lingo
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Power Prefix: re-
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This Feb. 29: 15 Words for "Leap"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Reduced pandemic ship orders coupled with a rebound in leisure travel and stepped-up presales of onboard packages led to a windfall.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
“Meanwhile, a rebound in Chinese LNG imports highlights the risk of stronger Asian competition for cargo, leaving European gas prices vulnerable to winter demand and further supply shocks.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
I’m referring to buying stocks that are beaten down by tax-loss selling in the last quarter of the year, which far more often than not rebound in January after that selling has abated.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
The flagship cryptocurrency continued its red-hot rebound, adding 4.7% to $85,117 after an uplift of nearly 6% last week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
“And I know he can’t rebound since I cut him for two years runnin’ now.”
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
She is third all-time in rebounds with 3,571 and third in steals with 716.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
The key issue is not whether those disruptions happen, but how effectively a couple rebounds from them.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026
In 2026, they have driven rebounds from selloffs, sent a group of chip stocks to the moon and made the world’s biggest-ever initial public offering a success.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
During the Dream’s 78-71 victory over the Sparks on Aug. 24, Reese grabbed 26 boards, setting a new record for total rebounds in a single game.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
JB’s got nineteen points, six rebounds, and three assists.
From "The Crossover" by Kwame Alexander
Hunt warns that costs will cut into profit, and U.S. retail sales rebounded in August.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Sales at U.S. retailers rebounded in August from a decrease in July, the WSJ’s Jessica Coacci reports.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
They rebounded briefly in 2021 — helped by the pandemic-era outdoors boom and subscription offerings — but have fallen since.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
Canada's economy also strongly rebounded in the second quarter of 2026 to 3.3% growth in the country's GDP, thanks to a jump in exports and domestic investment.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
Harry had escaped from the same attack with nothing more than a scar on his forehead, where Voldemort’s curse, instead of killing him, had rebounded upon its originator.
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
Sentiment among consumers in the eurozone inched lower this month, damaged by rebounding energy prices after military action in the Middle East escalated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
The benchmarks were facing steeper declines before rebounding ahead of the close.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Key details: Internet sales rose a sharp 2.6% in August as expected, rebounding from a post-Amazon Prime day slump in the prior month.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
Retail sales rose by 1.2% in August, rebounding from its decrease in July.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Voldemort was dead, killed by his own rebounding curse, and Harry stood with two wands in his hand, staring down at his enemy’s shell.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
