on the rebound

Idioms  

1. 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.

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Example Sentences

Enzo Le Fee picked out Nordi Mukiele and his low cross reached Diarra, whose initial effort was blocked before he pounced on the rebound to blast past Dubravka's weak attempted save.

From Barron's • Feb. 2, 2026

They might focus on companies that seem to be on the rebound or whose executives expect to achieve operating improvements next year.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 12, 2025

“She showed a little bit of everything tonight, right? She showed herself on the rebound, in the post, hitting couple threes, off the bounce. So I just think it’s really about her attitude.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2024

Hensley stopped Spooner’s shot and made a sprawling save at the left post to deny Brianne Jenner on the rebound.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 11, 2024

He had married on the rebound from the rotten time he had in college, and Frances took him on the rebound from his discovery that he had not been everything to his first wife.

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway