bounce verb - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com

Definition of bounce verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

bounce

verb
 
 
/baʊns/
 
/baʊns/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they bounce
 
/baʊns/
 
/baʊns/
he / she / it bounces
 
/ˈbaʊnsɪz/
 
/ˈbaʊnsɪz/
past simple bounced
 
/baʊnst/
 
/baʊnst/
past participle bounced
 
/baʊnst/
 
/baʊnst/
-ing form bouncing
 
/ˈbaʊnsɪŋ/
 
/ˈbaʊnsɪŋ/
Idioms Phrasal Verbs
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    move off surface

  1.  
    [intransitive, transitive] if something bounces or you bounce it, it moves quickly away from a surface it has just hit or you make it do this
    • The ball bounced twice before he could reach it.
    • bounce off something Short sound waves bounce off even small objects.
    • The light bounced off the river and dazzled her.
    • + adv./prep. The ball bounced high and she missed it.
    • bounce something (against/on/off something) She bounced the ball against the wall.
    Extra Examples
    • The stone hit the window but bounced off.
    • (figurative) The idea had been bouncing around in my head for some time.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • high
    • back
    • off
    • …
    preposition
    • against
    • around
    • down
    • …
    See full entry
    2.

    move up and down

  2.  
    [intransitive] bounce (up and down) (on something) (of a person) to jump up and down on something
    • She bounced up and down excitedly on the bed.
  3.  
    [transitive] bounce somebody (up and down) (on something) to move a child up and down while they are sitting on your knee in order to entertain them
    • I bounced the baby on my knee while Pete did the dishes.
  4.  
    [intransitive, transitive] bounce (something) (up and down) to move up and down; to move something up and down
    • Her hair bounced as she walked.
  5. [intransitive] + adv./prep. to move up and down in a particular direction
    • The bus bounced down the hill.
    • The car bounced its way along the dirt road.
    6.

    move with energy

  6. [intransitive] + adv./prep. (of a person) to move somewhere in a lively and cheerful way
    • He bounced across the room to greet them.
    Topics Personal qualitiesc2

    7. cheque

  7. [intransitive, transitive] bounce (something) (informal) if a cheque bounces, or a bank bounces it, the bank refuses to accept it because there is not enough money in the bank account to pay it

    8. ideas

  8. [transitive] bounce ideas (off somebody)/(around) to tell somebody your ideas in order to find out what they think about them
    • He bounced ideas off colleagues everywhere he went.
    9.

    computing

  9. [intransitive, transitive] bounce (something) (back) if an email bounces or the system bounces it, it returns to the person who sent it because the system cannot deliver it
    • I tried to send her an email but it bounced.
    • The system automatically bounces emails which contain attachments.
    Topics Phones, email and the internetc2

    10. make somebody leave

  10. [transitive] bounce somebody (from something) (especially North American English, informal) to force somebody to leave a job, team, place, etc.
    • He was soon bounced from the post.
    11.

    leave

  11. [intransitive] (informal) to leave a place or group of people
    • All right, cool, we'll bounce.
    12. Word OriginMiddle English bunsen ‘beat, thump’, perhaps imitative, or from Low German bunsen ‘beat’, Dutch bons ‘a thump’.
Idioms
be bouncing off the walls
  1. (informal) to be so full of energy or so excited that you cannot keep still
    • The kids have been bouncing off the walls all day.
See bounce in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
Check pronunciation: bounce

Nearby words

obviously
adverb
 
 
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