bounce

I. verb (bounced; bouncing) Etymology: Middle English bounsen Date: 13th century transitive verb 1. obsolete beat, bump 2. 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 funds 5. to present (as an idea) to another person to elicit comments or to gain approval — usually used with off intransitive verb 1. to rebound or reflect after striking a surface (as the ground) 2. to recover from a blow or a defeat quickly — usually used with back 3. 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 steps 5. to hit a baseball so that it hits the ground before it reaches an infielder II. noun Date: 1523 1. a. a sudden leap or bound b. rebound 2. bluster 3. verve, liveliness