bounce

—bounceable, adj. —bounceably, adv.

/bowns/, v., bounced, bouncing, n., adv.

v.i.

1. to spring back from a surface in a lively manner: The ball bounced off the wall.

2. to strike the ground or other surface, and rebound: The ball bounced once before he caught it.

3. to move or walk in a lively, exuberant, or energetic manner: She bounced into the room.

4. to move along in a lively manner, repeatedly striking the surface below and rebounding: The box bounced down the stairs.

5. to move about or enter or leave noisily or angrily (fol. by around, about, out, out of, into, etc.): He bounced out of the room in a huff.

6. (of a check or the like) to fail to be honored by the bank against which it was drawn, due to lack of sufficient funds.

v.t.

7. to cause to bound and rebound: to bounce a ball; to bounce a child on one's knee; to bounce a signal off a satellite.

8. to refuse payment on (a check) because of insufficient funds: The bank bounced my rent check.

9. to give (a bad check) as payment: That's the first time anyone bounced a check on me.

10. Slang. to eject, expel, or dismiss summarily or forcibly.

11. bounce back, to recover quickly: After losing the first game of the double-header, the team bounced back to win the second.

n.

12. a bound or rebound: to catch a ball on the first bounce.

13. a sudden spring or leap: In one bounce he was at the door.

14. ability to rebound; resilience: This tennis ball has no more bounce.

15. vitality; energy; liveliness: There is bounce in his step. This soda water has more bounce to it.

16. the fluctuation in magnitude of target echoes on a radarscope.

17. Slang. a dismissal, rejection, or expulsion: He's gotten the bounce from three different jobs.

adv.

18. with a bounce; suddenly.

[1175-1225; ME buncin, bounsen, var. of bunkin, appar. c. D bonken to thump, belabor, bonzen to knock, bump]

Syn. 15. animation, vivacity, life, spirit, pep, vigor, zip.

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