BOUNDING Synonyms: 151 Similar and Opposite Words

bounding 1 of 3

adjective

as in encircling

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Dissimilar Words

bounding

2 of 3

verb (1)

present participle of bound

as in defining

to mark the limits of the country is bounded by water on two sides

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in bordering

to serve as a border for being bounded on all sides by the Alps has helped Switzerland maintain its neutrality

Synonyms & Similar Words

bounding

3 of 3

verb (2)

present participle of bound

as in hopping

to move with a light springing step the child giggled and bounded off to play with her friends

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in leaping

to propel oneself upward or forward into the air a rabbit bounded down the garden path

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of bounding

Verb

Marie Marseille’s 100-pound dog, Jameson, a shaggy golden Saint Berdoodle, was killed on June 13 by an LAPD officer while bounding out of Marseille’s Canoga Park apartment. — Paige St. John, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026 But Adams is bounding around the rooftop beaming, teeth porcelain-white, face slathered in makeup, hair firmly coiffed. — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 18 June 2026 With the Rockies holding a 7-0 lead, Rumfield sent a drive to deep right-center, where the ball grazed the outside of Adell's glove before hitting his head and bounding over the wall. — ABC News, 3 June 2026 With the Rockies holding a 7-0 lead, Rumfield sent a drive to deep right-center, where the ball grazed the outside of Adell's glove before hitting his head and bounding over the wall. — CBS News, 2 June 2026 There is no shortage of footage of Shelton from his early career, bounding after balls with the fury of a linebacker chasing down a quarterback and then sliding through them — too far through them. — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 25 May 2026 An antelope on a ridge teasingly stares before bounding off up the rocky hill. — Julia Sayers Gokhale, Midwest Living, 17 Apr. 2026 The latter maintains an exuberant push-and-pull between Rushen’s electric piano, bounding with lightness and dexterity, and her classmate Bobby Bryant’s blaring tenor saxophone. — Matthew Ritchie, Pitchfork, 22 Mar. 2026 Gray will play Lisa, an EMT and partner to the team of lifeguards bounding down Venice Beach. — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 20 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bounding

Adjective

The saints’ days are celebrated, the great days of history are celebrated, and they’re celebrated with this sort of enormous exuberance and deep investment that is somehow very, very touching, very embracing, and very inclusive.

— Terry Ward, AFAR Media, 2 Sep. 2025

Definition of embracing

Verb

The clinical home ecosystem has become the defining phrase of the 2025 to 2026 wellness spending cycle, as buyers stack cold plunges, red light beds and neurotech into serious at-home recovery setups.

— Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 July 2026
According to the Defense blog, its defining feature is an integrated hydraulic arm.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 8 July 2026

Definition of defining

Verb

Several streets bordering the venue are expected to be closed, according to permits Swift filed, the New York Times reported.

— Conor Murray, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Earlier this month, the county Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a measure aimed at ensuring that the thousands of empty lots in unincorporated Altadena and Sunset Mesa, a small residential enclave bordering Pacific Palisades, are not left untended.

— Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026

Definition of bordering

Verb

Biking Barefoot There’s hardly anything more quintessentially Southern than hopping on a bike barefoot—and probably in a wet swimsuit as well—in the summertime to pedal down the street to a friend's house, neighborhood pool, or the shoreline.

— Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 4 July 2026
These stands are also designed and engineered in the US, so hopping on this deal feels appropriate for this upcoming Independence Day weekend.

— George Yang, PC Magazine, 3 July 2026

Definition of hopping

Verb

Then, two batters later, reliever Kyle Hurt threw a four-seam fastball down the middle of the plate, and Machado rocketed the pitch to the center field wall beyond the grasp of a leaping Pages.

— Liana Handler Follow, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
Gonzalez, robbed of a potential first-inning homer when Adell made a leaping catch of his drive above the wall in right, followed with a towering 368-foot fly that cleared the short left-field wall for his first homer of the season and a 7-1 lead.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 July 2026

Definition of leaping

Adjective

The system, which serves 100,000 residents in Iowa City and its surrounding, mostly rural communities, typifies the challenges most libraries face.

— Adeel Hassan, New York Times, 18 May 2026
Since then, the bustling market serves the surrounding and significant Latino community and others.

— Susan Selasky, Freep.com, 26 Sep. 2025

Definition of surrounding

Verb

When Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard’s serve was clocked at 153 mph last summer—the fastest in Wimbledon history—the number flashed on the scoreboard before the ball had stopped bouncing.

— Sam Birchall, Fortune, 9 July 2026
In the minute-long video, he can be seen dancing, bouncing a basketball and pretending to play a mini violin as rock music played in the background.

— Liza Esquibias, USA Today, 8 July 2026

Definition of bouncing

Verb

In April, a 19-year-old drowned after jumping into the water at Tiscornia Park in an attempt to save a young relative.

— Haley Parsley July 9, Sacbee.com, 9 July 2026
Arkansas is America's Most Improved State in CNBC's annual America's Top States for Business study, jumping 13 spots to 28th place in 2026.

— Scott Cohn, CNBC, 9 July 2026

Definition of jumping

Browse Nearby Words

bounders

bounding

boundless

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Bounding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bounding. Accessed 14 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of bounding

adjective

verb (1)

verb (2)

Example Sentences

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