bounce around
Idioms-
Move around from one person or place to another. For example, The staff spent the morning bouncing around ideas to improve sales , or She had been bouncing around from one job to another . This term alludes to a ball bouncing among players. [ Colloquial ; mid-1900s]
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Treat roughly or unfairly, as in Quit bouncing me around; I won't stand for it . This usage is based on a somewhat earlier meaning of bounce , “to beat up” or “coerce.” ] Slang ; c. 1970]
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.
“It’s just a very comfortable city to live in. I just think it’s fun to be able to bounce around and do anything you feel like doing.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026
In “Bluey: Bust-a-Move,” you can bounce around as Bluey, Bingo, Mum or Dad.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 23, 2025
I’ll have to bounce around a little, but don’t worry: I’ll try to keep it to the past 425 years.
From Barron's ● Nov. 21, 2025
Hearing it bounce around the Beacon felt like a sanctioned rebellion.
From Slate ● Jun. 30, 2025
But they tend to bounce around a lot.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
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.
