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

A market due for a bounce isn’t always one that’s found a bottom.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026

It was in a vacant industrial building out in the country where cars parked the grass, kids played in a bounce castle, and their parents watched while taking advantage of a well-stocked open bar.

From Slate ● Nov. 2, 2026

Revisions to GDP data and changes to the government’s debt-issuance patterns can make the numbers bounce around.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

Supporters talk about seeing a bounce when new managers take over and, from my own experiences, I do believe that to be the case.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026

Ray starts to bounce, too, the moment Dr. Martin slips from the driver’s side door.

From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers

"Christian bounces across in front of people where they can't lay a finger on him," Red Bulls head coach Dan McFarland told BBC Sport.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

But here, in a backyard on Cimarron Street on the last Saturday in July, conversation bounces from table to table, mouth to mouth, and the harmony of the day falls into place.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 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

See how scientists are ensuring that the ball bounces and rolls exactly the same way across 16 different stadiums—and how it could change the future of sports.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

Before I can ask Mama any more questions, Joy bounces over to us.

From "Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero" by Kelly J. Baptist

Healthcare stocks have since bounced back, in part due to the rotation away from tech stocks.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026

So it just feels like it’s bounced around, and there isn’t any one person that can say, ‘Here’s how the problem gets solved.’

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

If a sequel were set in 2026, Miles might not be so dogmatic: Merlot, after its celluloid humbling, has bounced back.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

Referee Phoebe Cross pointed to the spot when Lisa Baum's shot bounced off the post and Tandberg's clearance hit the outstretched hand of her Spurs team-mate Ella Morris nearby.

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026

The truck had no springs and bounced roughly over the bomb-pitted streets of The Hague.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Chip stocks are bouncing, but the uncertainty around future data-center spending probably isn’t going away, which he noted could keep stocks volatile for some time.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026

"The view is beautiful. They're bigger than trees," 23-year-old Toukta Phonsala told AFP inside her wooden stilt house in Dak Wai village, her baby bouncing on her lap.

From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026

Schoenbrun confidently guides readers down winding, interconnected roads, bouncing between online cults and peculiar digital ephemera to weave a gripping search for truth in a time when the internet has made everything fiction.

From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2026

Somewhere in this chain of revelations, a persistent question began bouncing around the internet: Aren’t these … crimes?

From Slate ● Oct. 25, 2026

“Sorry,” he said, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he waited for me to get myself together.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

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Related Words

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

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