What does "bounce" mean?
A change of direction of motion after hitting the ground or an obstacle.
Bounce
/baʊns/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A change of direction of motion after hitting the ground or an obstacle.
- Grammar: bounce is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: spring, adaptability, agitate, airiness.
- Useful contrasts: absorb, decline, delivered.
- Usage evidence: Tom had to borrow money to put into his savings account so that his cheque wouldn't bounce.
How to use "bounce"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "bounce" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "bounce" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "bounce" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "bounce" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "bounce" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "spring" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "bounce", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A change of direction of motion after hitting the ground or an obstacle. countable, uncountable
"Krohn-Dehli took advantage of a lucky bounce of the ball after a battling run on the left flank by Simon Poulsen, dummied two defenders and shot low through goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg's legs after 24 minutes."
- 2 a light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards wordnet
- 3 A movement up and then down (or vice versa), once or repeatedly. countable, uncountable
- 4 the quality of a substance that is able to rebound wordnet
- 5 An email that returns to the sender because of a delivery failure. Internet, countable, uncountable
Show 16 more definitions
- 6 rebounding from an impact (or series of impacts) wordnet
- 7 A hypothetical event where a collapsing system, such as a universe in the Big Bounce theory, reaches a point of extreme density and then rebounds back into an expanding phase, essentially reversing the contraction due to quantum mechanical effects. countable, uncountable
- 8 The sack, dismissal. countable, slang, uncountable
"Someone more clever than I said, "It's not the bounce that counts, it's the bounce back. ""
- 9 A bang, boom. archaic, countable, uncountable
"I don't value her resentment the bounce of a cracker."
- 10 A drink based on brandy.ᵂ archaic, countable, uncountable
"A prologue of cherry bounce,—brandy,—preceded the entertainment, which was enlivened by hob-nobs and joyous toasts."
- 11 A heavy, sudden, and often noisy, blow or thump. archaic, countable, uncountable
"The bounce burst ope the door."
- 12 Bluster; brag; untruthful boasting; audacious exaggeration; an impudent lie; a bouncer. archaic, countable, uncountable
"And, in fact, the whole story is a bounce of his own. For, in a most abusive letter which he wrote “to a learned person,” (meaning Wallis the mathematician,) he gives quite another account of the matter"
- 13 Scyliorhinus canicula, a European dogfish. countable, uncountable
- 14 A genre of hip-hop music of New Orleans, characterized by often lewd call-and-response chants. uncountable
- 15 Drugs. slang, uncountable
- 16 Swagger. slang, uncountable
- 17 A good beat in music. slang, uncountable
- 18 A talent for leaping. slang, uncountable
"Them pro-ballers got bounce!"
- 19 An increase in popularity. countable, informal, uncountable
- 20 An obstacle for a horse to jump over, consisting of two fences close together so that the horse cannot take a full stride between them, nor jump both at once. countable, uncountable
- 21 The situation where a horse races poorly after a successful race. countable, slang, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To change the direction of motion after hitting an obstacle. intransitive
"The tennis ball bounced off the wall before coming to rest in the ditch."
- 2 hit something so that it bounces wordnet
- 3 To move quickly up and then down (or vice versa), once or repeatedly. intransitive
"He bounces nervously on his chair."
- 4 eject from the premises wordnet
- 5 To cause to move quickly up and down, or back and forth, once or repeatedly. transitive
"He bounced the child on his knee."
Show 24 more definitions
- 6 spring back; spring away from an impact wordnet
- 7 To suggest or introduce (an idea, etc.) to (off or by) someone, in order to gain feedback. colloquial, transitive
"I'm meeting Bob later to bounce some ideas off him about the new product range."
- 8 move up and down repeatedly wordnet
- 9 To leap or spring suddenly or unceremoniously; to bound. intransitive
"She bounced happily into the room."
- 10 leap suddenly wordnet
- 11 To move rapidly (between).
"“The Queen’s Justice” had some fantastic moments of wit and heart but the structure and pacing didn’t do it any favors. The first section of the episode mostly bounced between Jon Snow’s arrival at Dragonstone and Cersei Lannister burning through her enemies and giving nary a fuck."
- 12 refuse to accept and send back wordnet
- 13 To be refused by a bank because it is drawn on insufficient funds. informal, intransitive
"We can’t accept further checks from you, as your last one bounced."
- 14 come back after being refused wordnet
- 15 To fail to cover (have sufficient funds for) (a cheque/check drawn on one's account). informal, transitive
"He tends to bounce a check or two toward the end of each month, before his payday."
- 16 To leave. intransitive, slang
"Let’s wrap this up, I gotta bounce."
- 17 To eject violently, as from a room; to discharge unceremoniously, as from employment. US, dated, slang, transitive
"Nobody took umbrage and bounced me out of the Union for being a pro."
- 18 To have sexual intercourse. intransitive, slang, sometimes
- 19 To attack unexpectedly. transitive
"The squadron was bounced north of the town."
- 20 To turn power to (a device) off and back on; to reset; to reboot. transitive
"See if it helps to bounce the router."
- 21 To return undelivered. Internet, ergative
"What’s your new email address? The old one bounces."
- 22 To land hard and lift off again due to excess momentum. intransitive
"The student pilot bounced several times during his landing."
- 23 To land hard at unsurvivable velocity with fatal results. intransitive
"After the mid-air collision, his rig failed and he bounced."
- 24 To mix (two or more tracks of a multi-track audio recording) and record the result onto a single track, in order to free up tracks for further material to be added. transitive
"Bounce tracks two and three to track four, then record the cowbell on track two."
- 25 To render two or more tracks to computer storage so that they can be played back and re-recorded with further material added.
"bouncing stems"
- 26 To bully; to scold. archaic, slang
"Would I had him here again, I would so bounce him, I would so thank his lordship for his lewd plot."
- 27 To boast; to bluster. archaic, slang
- 28 To strike or thump, so as to make a sudden noise upon rebound; to knock loudly. archaic
"Another bounces as hard as he can knock."
- 29 To race poorly after a successful race. slang
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Tom had to borrow money to put into his savings account so that his cheque wouldn't bounce."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "bounce"?
Common synonyms include: spring, adaptability, agitate, airiness, am signal, and jump.
How do you use "bounce" in a sentence?
Tom had to borrow money to put into his savings account so that his cheque wouldn't bounce.
How do you pronounce "bounce"?
Pronounced /baʊns/.
Etymology
From Middle English bounsen, bunsen (“to beat, thump”), cognate with Scots bunce, bonce (“to bounce”). Of uncertain origin. Perhaps imitative, related to bump, or related to Middle English bonchen (“to pound, beat”) and Dutch bonken (“to bump”). Compare Saterland Frisian bumzje (“to pound, bang, bounce”), West Frisian bûnzje (“to throb, bounce, pulsate”), Dutch bonzen (“to thump, knock, throb, bounce”), German Low German bunsen, bumsen (“to beat, bounce”), German bumsen (“to thud, bang, pound”).