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

“Whilst there’s no quick bounce in sales in the near future, ARB is a highly backable company,” Jefferies says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

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

"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

The Cherry and Whites ran in eight tries to make it two wins from two in the league and three on the bounce in all competitions.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

But I guess your hero wouldn’t bounce as much as Selkie!

From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr

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

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

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

Dick’s decided to match competitors’ discounts to maintain market share when the market bounces back.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

Don’t miss: Micron’s stock bounces back in a big way: ‘The memory trade is alive and well’

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 9, 2026

Kalinda runs to that bed so fast that when she lands, she bounces high into the air.

From "Hurricane Child" by Kheryn Callender

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

Three generations on, Liverpool has bounced back from those dark days but the legacy of welfare lingers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

Possessed of huge drive, vast wealth and immense personal charm, Archer bounced back from disaster and, more than once, rebuilt a shattered life.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

But the seat belt of his specially designed car seat cut into his legs when he bounced them up and down.

From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

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

Oracle’s stock fell as much as 8% in morning trading before bouncing back slightly, ending the day down 4%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 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

I start bouncing in the booth and squealing until Emma hushes me so she can hear.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

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Related Words

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

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