Main Entry:

¹bounce

Pronunciation:

\ˈbau̇n(t)s\

Function:

verb

Inflected Form(s):

bounced; bounc·ing

Etymology:

Middle English bounsen

Date:

13th century

transitive verb1obsolete : beat, bump2: to cause to rebound or be reflected <bounce a ball> <bounce a light ray off a reflector>3 a: dismiss, fire b: to expel precipitately from a place c: to eliminate from a competition by defeating <was bounced from the tournament in the first round>4: to issue (a check) drawn on an account with insufficient funds5: to present (as an idea) to another person to elicit comments or to gain approval —usually used with offintransitive verb1: to rebound or reflect after striking a surface (as the ground)2: to recover from a blow or a defeat quickly —usually used with back3: to be returned by a bank because of insufficient funds in a checking account <his checks bounce>4 a: to leap suddenly : bound b: to walk with springing steps5: to hit a baseball so that it hits the ground before it reaches an infielder