bounce

American  

[bauns] / baʊns /

verb (used without object)

• bounces,
  present (3rd person singular)
• bounced,
  past participle,  past
• bouncing
  present participle

1. to spring back from a surface in a lively manner.

   The ball bounced off the wall.

2. to strike the ground or other surface, and rebound.

   The ball bounced once before he caught it.

3. to move or walk in a lively, exuberant, or energetic manner.

   She bounced into the room.

4. to move along in a lively manner, repeatedly striking the surface below and rebounding.

   The box bounced down the stairs.

5. to move about or enter or leave noisily or angrily (followed by around, about, out, out of, into, etc.).

   He bounced out of the room in a huff.

6. (of a check or the like) to fail to be honored by the bank against which it was drawn, due to lack of sufficient funds.

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verb (used with object)

• bounces,
  present (3rd person singular)
• bounced,
  past participle,  past
• bouncing
  present participle

1. to cause to bound and rebound.

   to bounce a ball; to bounce a child on one's knee; to bounce a signal off a satellite.

2. to refuse payment on (a check) because of insufficient funds.

   The bank bounced my rent check.

3. to give (a bad check) as payment.

   That's the first time anyone bounced a check on me.

4. Slang. to eject, expel, or dismiss summarily or forcibly.

noun

• bounces
  plural

1. a bound or rebound.

   to catch a ball on the first bounce.

2. a sudden spring or leap.

   In one bounce he was at the door.

3. ability to rebound; resilience.

   This tennis ball has no more bounce.

4. vitality; energy; liveliness.

   There is bounce in his step. This soda water has more bounce to it.

   Synonyms:

   zip, vigor, pep, spirit, life, vivacity, animation

5. the fluctuation in magnitude of target echoes on a radarscope.

6. Slang. a dismissal, rejection, or expulsion.

   He's gotten the bounce from three different jobs.

adverb

1. with a bounce; suddenly.

verb phrase

1. bounce back to recover quickly.

   After losing the first game of the double-header, the team bounced back to win the second.

bounce British  

/ baʊns /

verb

1. (intr) (of an elastic object, such as a ball) to rebound from an impact

2. (tr) to cause (such an object) to hit a solid surface and spring back

3. to rebound or cause to rebound repeatedly

4. to move or cause to move suddenly, excitedly, or violently; spring

   she bounced up from her chair

5. slang (of a bank) to send (a cheque) back or (of a cheque) to be sent back unredeemed because of lack of funds in the drawer's account

6. (of an internet service provider) to send (an email message) back or (of an email message) to be sent back to the sender, for example because the recipient's email account is full

7. slang (tr) to force (a person) to leave (a place or job); throw out; eject

8. (tr) to hustle (a person) into believing or doing something

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noun

1. the action of rebounding from an impact

2. a leap; jump; bound

3. the quality of being able to rebound; springiness

4. informal vitality; vigour; resilience

5. swagger or impudence

6. informal a temporary increase or rise

7. Australian rules football the start of play at the beginning of each quarter or after a goal

8. informal to dismiss or be dismissed from a job

9. informal in succession; one after the other

   they have lost nine games on the bounce

bounce Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing bounce

• get the ax (bounce)
• more bounce for the ounce
• that's how the ball bounces

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• rebounce
  verb
• bounceable
  adjective
• bounceably
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• bounces
  plural

Participles

• bouncing
  present
• bounced
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• bounce
  simple
• bounces
  simple
• have bounced
  perfect
• has bounced
  perfect
• am bouncing
  progressive
• are bouncing
  progressive
• is bouncing
  progressive
• have been bouncing
  perfect progressive
• has been bouncing
  perfect progressive

Past

• bounced
  simple
• had bounced
  perfect
• was bouncing
  progressive
• were bouncing
  progressive
• had been bouncing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will bounce
  simple
• will have bounced
  perfect
• will be bouncing
  progressive
• will have been bouncing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of bounce

1175–1225; Middle English buncin, bounsen, variant of bunkin, apparently cognate with Dutch bonken to thump, belabor, bonzen to knock, bump

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Explanation

Bounce is a word for an up and down movement or recovery — like a ball's bounce on the pavement or the stock market's rise after a crash. Bounce can be a noun or a verb. A basketball player bounces a ball on the floor and it springs back into her hand. Trampolines have a lot of bounce in them; that's why they are fun to jump on. Good dance music makes you want to bounce up and down. The phrase “bounce back” describes how you might recover after a bad situation. Did you slip and suffer a painful bounce on the floor? Some hot chocolate will help you "bounce back."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bounce bounces bounced bouncing

The IMF said the region is expected to bounce back quickly once the war is over, but there remains high uncertainty as to when that will be.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

While optimism in the industry has been in short supply, charging executives say they are aiming to serve longtime EV owners—while prepping infrastructure for a day when demand might bounce back.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026

A DIY art space, a bounce house wonderland and a cat cafe are just a few of the places where you can get your kawaii fix around town.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

"Studying how quark wakes bounce back and forth will give us new insights on the quark-gluon plasma's properties," Lee says.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026

I ignore it, concentrating on the slap of the ball on the pavement, the buoyant bounce against my palm, and the thrill every time I make a basket.

From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko

Honesty around line calls, double bounces and double-hits.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

Steps away, a man does the “Crank Dat” dance as a young child bounces on his shoulders in gleeful entrancement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

When there are unknowns about how an industry will metabolize certain technological changes, they want to hire someone who bounces back from mistakes and takes setbacks in stride.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

Fluky bounces can swing series and the winningest teams from the regular season can just as easily get swept in the first round as the wild card clubs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026

The elevator bounces to a stop with a pleasant chime, and the doors open.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

“U.S. stocks bounced after a drop fueled by concerns about the sustainability of the AI trade, with attractive valuations and solid corporate earnings luring bargain hunters,” said Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s Ryan Felsman.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Then William Contreras and Jake Bauers each bounced ground-rule doubles into the stands, Bauers’ driving in two runs to cut the Dodgers’ lead in half.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Wiaan Mulder was caught in two minds and bounced out by Cummins.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

Retail-investor appetite for technology-sector ETFs has bounced back, the chart from JPMorgan strategists shows.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

Roz kept clicking, but no echoes had bounced back in nearly a day.

From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown

He had been playing professional baseball since he was just 17, spending more than a decade bouncing across seven different organizations with little success.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

Microsoft ran it with Clippy, the bouncing paperclip that came with Office as far back as the 1990s.

From Slate ● Oct. 14, 2026

Both teams had an underwhelming season opener before bouncing back last week, and Sunday's game in Denver gave them an opportunity to show their title credentials.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

The rising global genre, known for its catchy harmonies and bouncing performance style, inspired the sisters to bring pop elements to their recording sessions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

Eddie had been impatiently bouncing a red rubber ball.

From "I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980" by Lauren Tarshis

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Related Words

• bound
• bump
• carom
• hop
• jump
• leap
• rebound
• ricochet

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