What does bungee mean?
Bungee is a noun referring to a long elastic cord — usually rubber or elastic strands inside a woven fabric sheath — designed to stretch under tension and spring back. Its most familiar everyday role is securing loads: bungee cords with hooks at each end are used to strap luggage, tarps, and equipment to roof racks, bicycles, and trailers. The word is equally famous for its association with extreme sport: in bungee jumping, a person leaps from a great height while attached to a specially engineered bungee rope, free-falling before the cord's elasticity arrests the fall. The term originated as informal British slang, reportedly among Royal Air Force personnel in the 1930s, though its deeper origins are uncertain. In modern usage, 'bungee' rarely stands alone; it almost always appears within compounds such as 'bungee cord' or 'bungee jumping'. The tone is casual and practical in everyday contexts, and adventurous or daring when applied to the sport.
nounA long elastic cord, typically encased in fabric and used to secure or absorb shock; most famously, the cord used for bungee jumping. Also used attributively to describe activities or equipment involving such a cord.
- An elasticated cord used for securing items or absorbing shock.
- Attributive use: relating to or involving bungee jumping, as in 'bungee rope' or 'bungee jumping'.
"She secured the luggage with a bungee cord stretched across the roof rack."
"He strapped the kayak down with a pair of bungee cords before setting off."
"Her bucket list had exactly one item on it: a bungee jump over a canyon."
The plural typically refers to multiple individual elastic cords, e.g. in storage or retail contexts.
"The garage drawer was full of tangled bungees."
The word 'bungee' began as obscure British Royal Air Force slang in the 1930s — decades before anyone thought to fling themselves off bridges with one.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bungee
The word bungee emerged in the early twentieth century as informal British slang, first attested around the 1930s, notably in the usage of Royal Air Force personnel, where it referred to rubberized elastic cord. Its ultimate origin is unclear — some sources suggest it may derive from earlier dialectal words meaning bendy or rubbery, but this is uncertain. The term gained worldwide prominence in the 1980s with the popularization of bungee jumping, a sport inspired by traditional land-diving rituals on Pentecost Island in Vanuatu.
Related word forms
How bungee is actually used
Informal to neutral register. In everyday use, 'bungee' almost always appears in the compounds 'bungee cord', 'bungee jump', or 'bungee jumping' rather than standing alone. The spelling 'bungy' is common in New Zealand and Australia.
Easily confused with bungee
"Bungy" is simply an alternate spelling of "bungee" used chiefly in New Zealand and Australia, not a different word.