Library / English Dictionary

BOUNCE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards

Synonyms:

bounce; bound; leap; leaping; saltation; spring

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("bounce" is a kind of...):

jump; jumping (the act of jumping; propelling yourself off the ground)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "bounce"):

caper; capriole (a playful leap or hop)

pounce (the act of pouncing)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The quality of a substance that is able to rebound

Synonyms:

bounce; bounciness

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("bounce" is a kind of...):

elasticity; snap (the tendency of a body to return to its original shape after it has been stretched or compressed)

Derivation:

bounce (hit something so that it bounces)

bounce (spring back; spring away from an impact)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Rebounding from an impact (or series of impacts)

Synonyms:

bounce; bouncing

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Hypernyms ("bounce" is a kind of...):

backlash; rebound; recoil; repercussion (a movement back from an impact)

Derivation:

bounce (spring back; spring away from an impact)

bounce (move up and down repeatedly)

bouncy (elastic; rebounds readily)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Hit something so that it bounces

Example:

bounce a ball

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "bounce" is one way to...):

hit (cause to move by striking)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "bounce"):

bounce out (bounce a ball so that it becomes an out)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sentence example:

The children bounce the ball

Derivation:

bounce (the quality of a substance that is able to rebound)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Eject from the premises

Example:

The ex-boxer's job is to bounce people who want to enter this private club

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "bounce" is one way to...):

boot out; chuck out; eject; exclude; turf out; turn out (put out or expel from a place)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

bouncer (a person whose duty is to throw troublemakers out of a bar or public meeting)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Spring back; spring away from an impact

Example:

These particles do not resile but they unite after they collide

Synonyms:

bounce; bound; rebound; recoil; resile; reverberate; ricochet; spring; take a hop

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "bounce" is one way to...):

bound; jump; leap; spring (move forward by leaps and bounds)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "bounce"):

kick; kick back; recoil (spring back, as from a forceful thrust)

bound off; skip (bound off one point after another)

carom (rebound after hitting)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP

Derivation:

bounce (the quality of a substance that is able to rebound)

bounce (rebounding from an impact (or series of impacts))

Sense 4

Meaning:

Move up and down repeatedly

Synonyms:

bounce; jounce

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "bounce" is one way to...):

go; locomote; move; travel (change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s

Sentence examples:

The balls bounce

These balls bounce easily

Derivation:

bounce (rebounding from an impact (or series of impacts))

Sense 5

Meaning:

Leap suddenly

Example:

He bounced to his feet

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "bounce" is one way to...):

bound; jump; leap; spring (move forward by leaps and bounds)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s PP

Sense 6

Meaning:

Refuse to accept and send back

Example:

bounce a check

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Hypernyms (to "bounce" is one way to...):

decline; pass up; refuse; reject; turn down (refuse to accept)

Cause:

bounce (come back after being refused)

Verb group:

bounce (come back after being refused)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sentence example:

The banks bounce the check

Sense 7

Meaning:

Come back after being refused

Example:

the check bounced

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Hypernyms (to "bounce" is one way to...):

return (go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before)

Verb group:

bounce (refuse to accept and send back)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP

Sentence example:

The checks bounce

Antonym:

clear (be debited and credited to the proper bank accounts)

Credits

 Context examples: 

A drop of water or blood, for example, simply bounces away when it lands on the surface.

(Scientists Create Superbug-Resistant Self-Cleaning Surface, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

While the other colonies in the region have bounced back, the one on Pig Island continues to decline, stumping scientists.

(Study: World's Largest King Penguin Colony Declines Sharply, VOA)

This can happen, for example, when light bounces off a reflective surface like a mirror or the sea.

(Planck Takes Magnetic Fingerprint of Our Galaxy, JPL/NASA)

He flung it back, so that it struck the sled and bounced along until it fetched up on Bill's snowshoes.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

The door flew open, and in she bounced before Laurie could recover from his surprise.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) Does the patient fidget excessively, seem unable to sit still, or bounce his/her feet or tap his/her fingers a lot?

(NPI - Fidget Excessively, Seem Unable to Sit Still, NCI Thesaurus)

An invasive procedure in which sound waves (called ultrasound) are bounced off of vascular tissues from within the vessel and the echoes produce a picture (sonogram).

(Intravascular Ultrasound, NCI Thesaurus)

A procedure that uses ultrasound (high-energy sound waves that are bounced off internal tissues and organs) during surgery.

(Intraoperative ultrasound, NCI Dictionary)

Alleyne crossed himself as he gazed at this unnatural sight, and could scarce hold his ground with a steady face, when the two dancers, catching sight of him, came bouncing in his direction.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

As soon as I was mounted, holding on to Dogger's belt, the supervisor gave the word, and the party struck out at a bouncing trot on the road to Dr. Livesey's house.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)