rebound definition - Dictionary

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rebound

re·bound [ ree bównd ]

verb (past and past participle re·bound·ed, present participle re·bound·ing, 3rd person present singular re·bounds)

Definition:

1. intransitive verb spring back: to spring back or recoil

2. intransitive verb move back to previous level: to recover from a setback and move back to a previous or higher level or position

3. intransitive verb have undesirable effect: to affect the person who does or creates something directly, especially in an unpleasant or unwelcome way

4. transitive and intransitive verb basketball catch ball off backboard: in basketball, to take possession of a ball that has bounced off the backboard or rim of the basket

noun (plural re·bounds)

Definition:

1. act of rebounding: the springing back or recoiling of something

2. upward movement: an upward movement or a recovery, especially after a setback

3. sports ball that bounces: a ball that bounces back, particularly off a backboard or rim of the basket in basketball or off the goalkeeper or goalpost in hockey, soccer, or a similar sport

4. basketball act of catching rebound: in basketball, an act of taking possession of a rebounding ball

re·bound·er noun

on the rebound starting something new in the wake of a disappointment or setback, often the ending of a relationship, and therefore feeling uneasy or vulnerable

Word Usage


	rebound or redound? In its figurative use, rebound is a metaphor based on the image of an object bouncing and returning. Just as a ball that rebounds affects the person who threw it, so an action or statement rebounds on its creator when it affects him or her directly, usually in an unpleasant or unwelcome way: His tactic of implementing the changes without consultation rebounded on him when his team walked out in protest.Redound, a much rarer word, is sometimes used in the same way as rebound, but in its primary meaning it is followed by to and means "to have a particular consequence," with something good or positive as the object (the opposite connotation of rebound): The offensive players' performance redounded to the benefit of the basketball team as a whole. Note that only rebound can be used as a noun.