bounce Hear it!

bounce Definition

bounce (bo̵uns)

transitive verb bounced, bounc′·ing

  1. Archaic to bump or thump
  2. to cause to hit against a surface so as to spring back to bounce a ball
  3. ☆ Slang to put (an undesirable person) out by force
  4. ☆ Slang to discharge from employment

Etymology: ME bounsen, to thump; ? akin to Du bonzen & LowG bunsen, to thump, strike

intransitive verb

  1. to spring back from a surface after striking it; rebound
  2. to move suddenly; spring; jump to bounce out of bed
  3. ☆ Slang to be returned to the payee by a bank as a worthless check, because of insufficient funds in the drawer's account

noun

    1. a bouncing; rebound
    2. a leap or jump
  2. capacity for bouncing the ball has lost its bounce
  3. Brit. impudence; bluster
  4. ☆ Informal
    1. energy, zest, etc.
    2. the ability to regain one's spirit or optimism

bounce Related Forms
bounc′y adjective bounc′·i·er, bounc′·i·est
bounce Idioms

bounce back

☆

Informal to recover strength, good humor, etc. quickly

the bounce

☆

Slang dismissal or forcible ejection to give (or get) the bounce

bounce Synonyms

bounce

v.

  1. To rebound

    ricochet, recoil, carom, glance off, spring back, leap, hop, skip, bob, buck, jump, bound, jerk up and down, snap back, fly back, bounce back, kick back, boomerang, backlash, jounce; see also jump 4.

  2. To move suddenly

    spring, hop, leap, jump, bolt, vault, bound; see also jump 1.

  3. *To discharge from one's employ or establishment

    eject, oust, fire; see dismiss 1, 2, oust.

bounce Finance Definition
  1. A quick, but moderate, upward rise in a market that had previously traded lower. Also called a dead cat bounce when price gains aren’t expected to last.
  2. To write a check without having sufficient funds to cover it. A bounced check is one that has been rejected by a bank because there are insufficient funds in the checking account.
bounce Usage Examples

Object

  • ball: The longer you successfully bounce a ball, the higher is goes.
  • check: Does the bank charge for notification letters or bouncing checks?
  • bomb: They used " bouncing bombs " , designed by Dr. Barnes Wallis.
  • emails: We believe that bouncing ANY emails is inappropriate in a business scenario.
  • idea: Q: Your wife has always been involved in your movies, do you bounce ideas off her?

Preposition: on

  • trampoline: The children were able to bounce on these trampolines in relative safety.

Adjective modifier

  • uneven: With some uneven bounce in the wicket, the bowlers had a chance to defend their low score if they pitched the ball right.
  • wicked: TV replays showed that the ball took a wicked bounce over his kicking foot off as it hit the returfed goalmouth.
  • awkward: Swansea ' keeper Roger Freestone was caught out by an awkward bounce but managed to claim the loose ball before Howe could take advantage.
  • lucky: Hence, the tee shot must land and stop on the green, or entail a lucky bounce over the bunker!

Followed by an intransitive particle

  • around: You bounce around on the floor of the carriage.
  • along: Bouncing along in our cramped cab we went back in time to the late 18th Century.
  • off: Chaos ensured at the first corner, with cars bouncing off of each other I avoided a spinning car.

Followed by a transitive particle

  • off: Hours later you can hear her voice bouncing off the walls in your head.
  • around: For a few years, my smoking habits bounced around all over the place.

Particle object:

  • wall: Hours later you can hear her voice bouncing off the walls in your head.
  • ceiling: The crowd at the front has grown and pretty much everyone is bouncing off the ceiling.

Preposition: from

  • defeat: Footballers give Navy the Blues Friday, 22 October 2004 The Blues bounced back from a horrible defeat to sink the Royal Navy.
  • disappointment: Richie Partridge wants to bounce back from the disappointment of the Leeds defeat by getting a vital home win against Luton Town tonight.

Noun used with modifier

  • ball: The number of times the ball bounces gets added to the person's score.
bounce Quotes

Oh, poor Pearl Buck! She has no more bounce than a boiled potato.

—Porter, Katherine Anne