What does rebound mean?
Rebound has several connected meanings, all involving something returning after an impact, setback, or decline. As a verb, it can describe a ball or other object bouncing back from a surface, a person recovering after a difficult period, or a price or market returning after falling. The word may also imply a diminished return: an effect that rebounds can be less powerful than the original event that caused it. In sport, a rebound is a ball recovered after hitting a surface or backboard, and rebound statistics are common in basketball and hockey. As a noun, a rebound can refer to the act itself, a recovery, or the amount returned after an impact or decline. The verb is generally pronounced with stress on the second syllable, while the noun is commonly stressed on the first.
To return after striking a surface, recover after a setback, or increase again after a decline.
"The team rebounded from a disappointing first half and won the match."
The pronunciation is generally /rɪˈbaʊnd/. In the physical sense, it may suggest a return after impact; in economic and personal senses, it suggests recovery.
An act of bouncing or springing back; a recovery after a setback; or a return, often reduced, after an earlier impact or period of decline.
"The company's shares recorded a strong rebound in morning trading."
The noun is commonly pronounced /ˈriːbaʊnd/. In basketball and hockey, it refers specifically to securing or controlling the ball after it comes off a surface.
Relating to, resulting from, or occurring after a rebound.
"The player grabbed the rebound ball and raced toward the basket."
This use is most common in sport and is often functioning as a noun adjunct.
The plural is used for individual acts of bouncing or springing back, as well as recoveries in sport, business, or financial markets.
"The team secured several rebounds during the final quarter."
A rebound began as a word for an echo, then came to describe a ball bouncing back, a patient recovering, and even a market recovering from a crash.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does rebound come from?
Rebound entered English through Anglo-French from Latin reboundire, a word meaning “to resound” or “echo back.” Its modern sense of returning after an impact developed from the idea of sound or movement being sent back. Later usage extended the word to recoveries in sport, business, finance, and personal circumstances.
Related word forms
How rebound is actually used
The word is common in general English, sport, finance, economics, and reports of recovery. In financial contexts, a rebound usually indicates a return after a fall rather than the original level. As an adjective, it most often occurs in phrases such as “rebound ball” or “rebound totals.”
Easily confused with rebound
A rebound is something that returns after an impact or recovers, whereas a bound is something tied, fastened, or limited.