Advertisement
Advertisement
bounce
[ bouns ]
verb (used without object)
- to spring back from a surface in a lively manner:
The ball bounced off the wall.
- to strike the ground or other surface, and rebound:
The ball bounced once before he caught it.
- to move or walk in a lively, exuberant, or energetic manner:
She bounced into the room.
- to move along in a lively manner, repeatedly striking the surface below and rebounding:
The box bounced down the stairs.
- 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.
- (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.
verb (used with object)
- 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.
- to refuse payment on (a check) because of insufficient funds:
The bank bounced my rent check.
- to give (a bad check) as payment:
That's the first time anyone bounced a check on me.
- Slang. to eject, expel, or dismiss summarily or forcibly.
noun
- a bound or rebound:
to catch a ball on the first bounce.
- a sudden spring or leap:
In one bounce he was at the door.
- ability to rebound; resilience:
This tennis ball has no more bounce.
- 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
- the fluctuation in magnitude of target echoes on a radarscope.
- Slang. a dismissal, rejection, or expulsion:
He's gotten the bounce from three different jobs.
adverb
- with a bounce; suddenly.
verb phrase
- to recover quickly:
After losing the first game of the double-header, the team bounced back to win the second.
bounce
/ baʊns /
verb
- intr (of an elastic object, such as a ball) to rebound from an impact
- tr to cause (such an object) to hit a solid surface and spring back
- to rebound or cause to rebound repeatedly
- to move or cause to move suddenly, excitedly, or violently; spring
she bounced up from her chair
- 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
- (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
- slang.tr to force (a person) to leave (a place or job); throw out; eject
- tr to hustle (a person) into believing or doing something
noun
- the action of rebounding from an impact
- a leap; jump; bound
- the quality of being able to rebound; springiness
- informal.vitality; vigour; resilience
- swagger or impudence
- informal.a temporary increase or rise
- the bounceAustralian rules football the start of play at the beginning of each quarter or after a goal
- get the bounce or give the bounce informal.to dismiss or be dismissed from a job
- on the bounce informal.in succession; one after the other
they have lost nine games on the bounce
Other Words From
- bouncea·ble adjective
- bouncea·bly adverb
Word History and Origins
Origin of bounce1
Word History and Origins
Origin of bounce1
Idioms and Phrases
- get the ax (bounce)
- more bounce for the ounce
- that's how the ball bounces
Example Sentences
Two kneel-downs later, the Chiefs won as Matthew Wright’s 31-yard kick bounced off the left upright and through the goal posts.
The Trojans bounced back to win three of their last five, narrowly securing bowl eligibility with a last-minute win over UCLA.
I keep coming back to an aphorism that bounced around Russia as the number of internal émigrés grew: You may not be interested in politics, but politics is interested in you.
On a pitch showing increasingly uneven bounce, the New Zealand chase is a Hail Mary.
Davis had 38 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, bouncing back after a miserable game in Miami.
Advertisement
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.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse