on the rebound

Idioms

Reacting to or recovering from an unhappy experience, especially the end of a love affair. For example, A month after breaking up with Larry, Jane got engaged to Bob, a classic case of being on the rebound. This metaphoric term, alluding to the bouncing back of a ball, has been used in the present sense since the mid-1800s, although rebound alone had been used figuratively for much longer.

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.

The first was a long-range shot by Álex Baena that hit the crossbar; on the rebound, Yamal fired the ball straight into the Austria goalkeeper’s body.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 2, 2026

Xabi Alonso levelled on the rebound after his penalty was saved.

From BBC • May 28, 2026

San Francisco is not only on the rebound, she is in love.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 26, 2026

Slovakia midfielder Lobotka smashed home on the rebound in the seventh minute in Naples, breaking a scoring duck which stretched back to the opening day of Napoli's triumphant 2022/23 season.

From Barron's • Jan. 17, 2026

Now, on the rebound from my calamitous entanglement with the nordwand, I was prepared to lower my sights.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023