Word: bounce Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English bounsen, bunsen (“to beat, thump”), cognate with Scots bunce, bonce (“to bounce”). Of uncertain origin. Perhaps imitative, related to bump, or related to Middle English bonchen (“to pound, beat”) and Dutch bonken (“to bump”). Compare Saterland Frisian bumzje (“to pound, bang, bounce”), West Frisian bûnzje (“to throb, bounce, pulsate”), Dutch bonzen (“to thump, knock, throb, bounce”), German Low German bunsen, bumsen (“to beat, bounce”), German bumsen (“to thud, bang, pound”). Pronunciation: /baʊns/, /buːns/ 1. To change the direction of motion after hitting an obstacle. Labels: intransitive Example: The tennis ball bounced off the wall before coming to rest in the ditch. 2. To move quickly up and then down (or vice versa), once or repeatedly. Labels: intransitive Example: He bounces nervously on his chair. Example: The Black Cats contributed to their own downfall for the only goal when Titus Bramble, making his first appearance since Boxing Day, and Michael Turner, let Phil Jones' cross bounce across the six-yard box as Rooney tucked in at the back post. 3. To cause to move quickly up and down, or back and forth, once or repeatedly. Labels: transitive Example: He bounced the child on his knee. Example: The children were bouncing a ball against a wall. 4. To suggest or introduce (an idea, etc.) to (off or by) someone, in order to gain feedback. Labels: colloquial, transitive Example: I'm meeting Bob later to bounce some ideas off him about the new product range. 5. To leap or spring suddenly or unceremoniously; to bound. Labels: intransitive Example: She bounced happily into the room. Example: Out bounced the mastiff. 6. To move rapidly (between). Example: “The Queen’s Justice” had some fantastic moments of wit and heart but the structure and pacing didn’t do it any favors. The first section of the episode mostly bounced between Jon Snow’s arrival at Dragonstone and Cersei Lannister burning through her enemies and giving nary a fuck. 7. To be refused by a bank because it is drawn on insufficient funds. Labels: informal, intransitive Example: We can’t accept further checks from you, as your last one bounced. 8. To fail to cover (have sufficient funds for) (a cheque/check drawn on one's account). Labels: informal, transitive Example: He tends to bounce a check or two toward the end of each month, before his payday. 9. To leave. Labels: intransitive, slang Example: Let’s wrap this up, I gotta bounce. Example: I was definitely looking forward to getting me some more of Yasmere in the future, so I took a quick second to give her a last little bit of love before I bounced. 10. To eject violently, as from a room; to discharge unceremoniously, as from employment. Labels: US, dated, slang, transitive Example: Nobody took umbrage and bounced me out of the Union for being a pro. Example: Anyone who gets bounced out of [this bar] is not just pushed onto the street — he is walked home, or put in a cab. 11. To have sexual intercourse. Labels: intransitive, slang, sometimes 12. To attack unexpectedly. Labels: transitive Example: The squadron was bounced north of the town. 13. To turn power to (a device) off and back on; to reset; to reboot. Labels: transitive Example: See if it helps to bounce the router. 14. To return undelivered. Labels: Internet, ergative Example: What’s your new email address? The old one bounces. Example: The girl in the bar told me her address was thirsty@example.com, but my mail to that address was bounced back by the server. 15. To land hard and lift off again due to excess momentum. Labels: intransitive Example: The student pilot bounced several times during his landing. 16. To land hard at unsurvivable velocity with fatal results. Labels: intransitive Example: After the mid-air collision, his rig failed and he bounced. 17. To mix (two or more tracks of a multi-track audio recording) and record the result onto a single track, in order to free up tracks for further material to be added. Labels: transitive Example: Bounce tracks two and three to track four, then record the cowbell on track two. 18. To render two or more tracks to computer storage so that they can be played back and re-recorded with further material added. Example: bouncing stems 19. To bully; to scold. Labels: archaic, slang Example: Would I had him here again, I would so bounce him, I would so thank his lordship for his lewd plot. 20. To boast; to bluster. Labels: archaic, slang 21. To strike or thump, so as to make a sudden noise upon rebound; to knock loudly. Labels: archaic Example: Another bounces as hard as he can knock. 22. To race poorly after a successful race. Labels: slang