rebound
Americanverb (used without object)
-
rebounds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
rebounded,
past participle, past
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rebounding
present participle
-
to bound or spring back from force of impact.
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to recover, as from ill health or discouragement.
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Basketball. to gain hold of rebounds.
a forward who rebounds well off the offensive board.
verb (used with object)
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rebounds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
rebounded,
past participle, past
-
rebounding
present participle
-
to cause to bound back; cast back.
-
Basketball. to gain hold of (a rebound).
The guard rebounded the ball in backcourt.
noun
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rebounds
plural
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the act of rebounding; recoil.
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Basketball.
-
a ball that bounces off the backboard or the rim of the basket.
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an instance of gaining hold of such a ball.
-
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Ice Hockey. a puck that bounces off the gear or person of a goalkeeper attempting to make a save.
idioms
verb
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to spring back, as from a sudden impact
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to misfire, esp so as to hurt the perpetrator
the plan rebounded
noun
-
the act or an instance of rebounding
-
-
in the act of springing back
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informal in a state of recovering from rejection, disappointment, etc
he married her on the rebound from an unhappy love affair
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Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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reboundsimple
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reboundssimple
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have reboundedperfect
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has reboundedperfect
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am reboundingprogressive
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are reboundingprogressive
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is reboundingprogressive
-
have been reboundingperfect progressive
-
has been reboundingperfect progressive
Past
-
reboundedsimple
-
had reboundedperfect
-
was reboundingprogressive
-
were reboundingprogressive
-
had been reboundingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of rebound
1300–50; Middle English (v.) < Middle French rebondir, equivalent to Old French re- re- + bondir to bound 2
Explanation
To rebound is to come back from a slump. You might rebound from an illness, or your country might rebound from an economic recession. Like many words that start with the prefix re, rebound involves something happening again. In this case, to rebound is to bounce back to a previous state or condition. When you start to feel happy again after your heart gets broken, you rebound. If the stock market crashes and then returns to a healthy level, it rebounds.
Vocabulary lists containing rebound
Defense, Dribble, and Dunk: Basketball Lingo
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Power Prefix: re-
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This Feb. 29: 15 Words for "Leap"
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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.
See Examples For:
Stock futures rallied after a tech-led selloff in the previous session, as lower oil prices and a rebound in artificial-intelligence sentiment boosted markets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Despite the dire circumstances, it’s in our country’s DNA to believe in the power of the rebound.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
"After a setback in July, Germany's cyclical rebound gained new momentum in August," he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
Even as U.S. forces have worn down Iran’s grip on the waterway, helping oil shipments rebound toward prewar levels, the global crude-futures benchmark jumped 4.4% Thursday to $102.31 a barrel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
He managed to grab it on the rebound before it hit the floor.
From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner
They powered market rebounds, rushing in to buy the dip when share prices swooned.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
During a Las Vegas Summer League game, Thiero flashed his potential with 20 points, four rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks with zero turnovers in 30 minutes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
IBM stock rebounds from a five-day slump after Accenture’s solid earnings signal resilience in tech consulting amid AI disruption fears.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
“Structural issues remain, but if there is any sort of resolution in the Middle East it’s also the group that likely rebounds the hardest,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
The core implodes violently, the exterior rebounds and a supernova explosion results.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
ER visits by immigrant patients eventually rebounded somewhat, but remained 10% lower than pre-enforcement levels in October 2025.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
That said, only seven teams in the Super Bowl era have rebounded from an 0-3 start to make the playoffs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
The trade surplus also rebounded to $3.5 billion in August from $121.9 million in July and is expected to remain above $1 billion in coming months, they say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Energy stocks initially fell on the G-7 bailout move but most rebounded in less than an hour, with ExxonMobil rising 0.2% after an initial drop.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
Prince Hamlet joined the charade, tugging upon the jester until he rebounded like a tennis ball and jumped upon the king’s table, where he commenced singing.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
“It’s important to have two of the bigger wings out there for rebounding purposes,” said Redick, who said Kessler’s finger injury is minor enough for him to play through if this was the regular season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026
Mattel shares had fallen more than 35% this year on concerns about how it planned to drive growth, before rebounding more than 30% recently amid reports of a potential takeover bid.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
The S&P 500 rose by a robust 7.9% that quarter, rebounding from a sharp bear market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Analysts attribute the rebounding flow of oil to three key factors:
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
She slid the berries in between her lips, still holding her hair, the canes rebounding in quiet arcs when she freed the berry caps from their cores.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
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.
