bounce (bounce)

verb

• 1 [no object, usually with adverbial of direction] (with reference to an object, especially a ball) move quickly up, back, or away from a surface after hitting it: the ball bounced away and he chased it [with object]: he was bouncing the ball against the wall
• (of light, sound, or an electronic signal) come into contact with an object or surface and be reflected back: short sound waves bounce off even small objects
• (also bounce back) (of an email) be returned to its sender after failing to reach its destination: I tried to email him, but the message bounced
• (bounce back) recover well after a setback or problem: the savings rate has already started to bounce back and is sure to rise further
• [with object] West Indian come into sudden forceful contact with; collide with: people cross the road as slowly as possible, as if daring the cars to bounce them

• 2 [no object, usually with adverbial of direction] jump repeatedly up and down, typically on something springy: Emma was happily bouncing up and down on the mattress
• move up and down repeatedly: the gangplank bounced under his confident step
• [with object] cause (a child) to move lightly up and down on one’s knee as a game: I remember how you used to bounce me on your knee
• [with adverbial of direction] (of a vehicle) move jerkily along a bumpy surface: the car bounced down the narrow track
• [with adverbial of direction] move in a particular direction in an energetic, happy, or enthusiastic manner: Linda bounced in through the open front door

• 3 [no object] informal (of a cheque) be returned by a bank to the payee when there are not enough funds in the drawer’s account to meet it: a further two cheques of £160 also bounced
• [with object] (of a bank) return a cheque to the payee when there are not enough funds in the drawer’s account to meet it: the bank bounced the cheque

• 4 [with object] informal eject (a troublemaker) forcibly from a nightclub or similar establishment.
• chiefly North American dismiss (someone) from a job: those who put in a dismal performance will be bounced from the tour

• 5 [with object] British informal pressurize (someone) into doing something, typically by presenting them with a fait accompli: the government should beware being bounced into any ill-considered foreign gamble

noun

• 1a rebound of a ball or other object: the wicket was causing the occasional erratic bounce
• [mass noun] the ability of a surface to make a ball rebound in a specified way: a pitch of low bounce
• West Indian a collision.

• 2an act of jumping or of moving up and down jerkily: every bounce of the truck brought them into fresh contact
• a sudden rise in the level of something: economists agree that there could be a bounce in prices next year
• [mass noun] exuberant self-confidence: the bounce was now back in Jenny’s step
• [mass noun] health and body in a person’s hair: use conditioner to help hair regain its bounce