rebound

[ verb ri-bound, ree-bound; noun ree-bound, ri-bound ]
See synonyms for: reboundreboundedrebounding on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)
  1. to bound or spring back from force of impact.

  2. to recover, as from ill health or discouragement.

  1. Basketball. to gain hold of rebounds: a forward who rebounds well off the offensive board.

verb (used with object)
  1. to cause to bound back; cast back.

  2. Basketball. to gain hold of (a rebound): The guard rebounded the ball in backcourt.

noun
  1. the act of rebounding; recoil.

  2. Basketball.

    • a ball that bounces off the backboard or the rim of the basket.

    • an instance of gaining hold of such a ball.

  1. Ice Hockey. a puck that bounces off the gear or person of a goalkeeper attempting to make a save.

Idioms about rebound

  1. on the rebound,

    • after bouncing off the ground, a wall, etc.: He hit the ball on the rebound.

    • after being rejected by another: She didn't really love him; she married him on the rebound.

Origin of rebound

1
1300–50; Middle English (v.) <Middle French rebondir, equivalent to Old French re-re- + bondir to bound2

Words that may be confused with rebound

Words Nearby rebound

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use rebound in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for rebound

rebound

verb(rɪˈbaʊnd) (intr)
  1. to spring back, as from a sudden impact

  2. to misfire, esp so as to hurt the perpetrator: the plan rebounded

noun(ˈriːbaʊnd)
  1. the act or an instance of rebounding

  2. on the rebound

    • in the act of springing back

    • informal in a state of recovering from rejection, disappointment, etc: he married her on the rebound from an unhappy love affair

Origin of rebound

1
C14: from Old French rebondir, from re- + bondir to bound ²

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with rebound

rebound

see on the rebound.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.