rebound
Americanverb (used without object)
-
rebounds,
present (3rd person singular)
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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
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rebounding
present participle
-
to cause to bound back; cast back.
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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.
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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
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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:
When selecting individual stocks, some investors look for quality and lower risk, while others want to scoop up shares of companies that have fallen on hard times, hoping to ride a rebound.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
But Cantwell said Visa’s past two quarters were some of its strongest in years, driving a rebound through the summer.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026
“We look for a strong rebound in second-quarter GDP growth of 3.4% annualized after three down quarters out of the previous four,” said ING economist James Knightley in a note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Once hunted to near extinction, the rebound of humpback whales is considered among the conservation movement's greatest success stories.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
I basked in a brief moment of glory while Jenna caught the rebound and passed the ball to the next person in my line.
From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence
Ogwumike has played 31.3 minutes per game for the Sparks this season while averaging 16.9 points and 8.7 rebounds, her most since 2023.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
Steve Sosnick, chief strategist at Interactive Brokers, seems wary of such knee-jerk rebounds, and argues that a shift in attitudes toward option trading may help explain them.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
To determine whether body fat truly rebounds, Agbaje examined a measurement that more closely reflects adiposity than BMI.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026
James averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists, 6.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals a game for the Lakers last season and said he was considering retirement strongly when the campaign concluded.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
He moved under the basket and started grabbing rebounds and passing the ball back to me.
From "Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel" by Harlan Coben
It found support around $4,000 and bounced, then rebounded further after a recent Treasury Department announcement.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
Stocks rose Tuesday as the tech sector and chip stocks rebounded.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
That sent long-term rates plunging but they rebounded on Thursday, with Mark Malek, of Muriel Siebert & Co, calling it "a housekeeping move destined to be short-term, at best".
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
Don’t miss: Sandisk’s stock has rebounded nearly 35% this week.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
She rebounded forward, falling to her knees, panting, still clutching her shoulder, black feathers protruding between her slender fingers.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
Oswaldo Cisneros had bet on rebounding crude prices and the plan was to triple output to 115,000 barrels a day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
After years of decline, new announced fossil fuel capacity for the grid hit a low in 2022, rebounding the following year as the AI boom took hold.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
The firm’s short-term sentiment composite entered August in its “pessimism” zone before rebounding to neutral after Monday’s rally, suggesting traders remain cautious even as stocks recovered.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
With rebounding oil prices fueling inflation concerns, rising yields are already pushing up mortgage rates and undercutting the stock rally.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
As soon as we are through the turnstiles, my heart lifts at the sound I was hoping to hear—jazzy notes, rebounding off the mosaic station walls.
From "Muffled" by Jennifer Gennari
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.
