Etymologically
Log in

bounce

Etymology and origin of the English word bounce

History Permalink
Confidence
Uncertain
First attested
before 1225

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /baʊns/[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English bunsen, to beat, thump, of uncertain origin,[2][3][4] perhaps from Dutch bonzen, to thump, or Low German bunsen, or of imitative origin;[3][2][5] its sense has probably been influenced by bound, to leap.[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

To beat or thump: probably before 1225, in a version of the Ancrene Riwle.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

In the early 16th century the word was applied to loud explosive noise, blustering and bounding like a ball.[6] The sense to bound like a ball is from 1519 (the 1510s),[2][3] and the noun, a leap, from 1523.[2][7] A loud blow or explosion is an obsolete noun sense.[7] In the 17th century bounce meant to talk big, to bluster,[3] and a boastful falsehood or impudence is from 1714.[7] The transitive sense, to cause to rebound, is from 1876,[3] and to throw someone out, colloquial American, from 1876.[7] Of a cheque returned for lack of funds it is from 1927,[3] and a buoyant rhythm from 1937.[7]

Timeline

  • before 1225 – to thump.[2]
  • 1519 – to bound.[2]
  • 1523 – a leap (noun).[2]
  • 1714 – a boast.[7]
  • 1876 – to expel.[7]
  • 1927 – of a cheque.[3]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To spring back after hitting a surface; to rebound.
  2. To cause a ball or object to rebound.
  3. To move or jump energetically; to bound.
  4. Of a cheque, to be returned for lack of funds.
  5. (informal) To throw someone out forcibly; to eject.
  6. To recover quickly from a setback.

Noun

  1. A rebound or springing movement.
  2. Liveliness; spirit.

Word family

  • bounceable
  • bounceably
  • bounceback
  • bouncer
  • bouncing
  • bouncy
  • bouncing Bet

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Bounce.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/bounce. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·