rebound

plural rebounds

1. The recoil of an object bouncing off another.
2. A return to health or well-being; a recovery.

   I am on the rebound.

3. An effort to recover from a setback.
4. colloquialThe period of getting over a recently ended romantic relationship.

   "I get it. Girl caught him on the rebound when he was vulnerable."

   2014 April 4, Dan Shive, El Goonish Shive (webcomic), Comic for Friday, Apr 4, 2014

5. colloquialA romantic partner with whom one begins a relationship (or the relationship one begins) for the sake of getting over a previous, recently ended romantic relationship.

   What if she was a rebound after all and he didn't feel the same way for her anymore?

   2008, Craig Ainsworth, Proceed with Caution: Life's a Journey, →ISBN, page 96

   2 more examples

   Nika was dealt a terrible blow in finding she was a rebound and that Steve was still madly in love with his ex and that their love affair was sparked out of retaliation[.]

   2009, Kenny Attaway, Nuthouse Love, →ISBN, page 154

   Sure, he was a rebound, but he was a respectable rebound. Then, the rebound broke up with me.

   2010, Joan Moran, Sixty, Sex, & Tango: Confessions of a Beatnik Boomer, →ISBN, page 43

6. hobbiesThe strike of the ball after it has bounced off a defending player or the crossbar or goalpost.

   The inevitable Baggies onslaught followed as substitute Simon Cox saw his strike excellently parried by keeper Bunn, with Cox heading the rebound down into the ground and agonisingly over the bar.

   2010 December 28, Kevin Darling, “West Brom 1 - 3 Blackburn”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 22 Jan 2022

7. ball gamesAn instance of catching the ball after it has hit the rim or backboard without a basket being scored, generally credited to a particular player.

   1 more example

   Wemby’s 50-point game was much milder, if that’s even a thing statistically. This season, he has already had a 5×5 (25 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, five steals and five blocks), a near triple-double (24 points, 13 rebounds and nine blocks) and this 50-burger. […] Just that measly 35-point, 14-assist and 12-rebound game from LeBron James as the Lakers got a little revenge on the Grizzlies.

   2024 November 14, Zach Harper, “About Victor Wembanyama’s speedy 50 burger. Plus, the Cavaliers remain perfect!”, in The Athletic, archived from the original on 06 Dec 2024

present singular third person rebounds · participle present rebounding · participle past rebounded · past rebounded

1. To bound or spring back from a force.

   Bodies which are absolutely hard, or so soft as to be void of elasticity, will not rebound from one another.

   1704, I[saac] N[ewton], “(please specify |book=1 to 3)”, in Opticks: Or, A Treatise of the Reflexions, Refractions, Inflexions and Colours of Light. […], London: […] Sam[uel] Smith, and Benj[amin] Walford, printers to the Royal Society, […], →OCLC

   1 more example

   Martin Kelly fired in a dangerous cross and the Hearts defender looked on in horror as the ball rebounded off him and into the net.

   2012 August 23, Alasdair Lamont, “Hearts 0-1 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport

2. To give back an echo.

   each cave and echoing rock rebounds

   a. 1714, Alexander Pope, Autumn

3. figurativelyTo jump up or get back up again.

   1 more example

   “Even after this utter devastation, most people in the Greenwood community, most African Americans in Tulsa said to themselves and to their larger community, ‘we shall not be moved.’ And they rebounded and rebuilt and created an incarnation of Black Wall Street that would surpass its initial version.”

   2021 May 20, Ashley Vaughan, “Remembering Black Wall Street: Ways to invest in Tulsa and champion Black businesses”, in CNN, archived from the original on 31 May 2021

4. transitiveTo send back; to reverberate.

   Silenus sung; the vales his voice rebound, / And carry to the skies the sacred sound.

   1697, Virgil, “Pastoral 6”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC

5. ball gamesTo catch the ball after it has hit the rim or backboard without scoring a basket for the other team.

   I knew for sure if Griffin blocked shots and rebounded the basketball my Ravens would become champions.

   2021, Ronald Lee Fleming, Rise of the Ravens, page 2021

   1 more example

   By the mid-19605, the top small forwards in the game were Rick Barry and Iohn Havlicek, both of whom excelled as defenders and passers, rebounded well, and provided their respective teams with exceptional scoring.

   2013, Robert W. Cohen, Pro Basketball's All-time All-stars: Across the Eras, page xxi

1. participlepastsimple past and past participle of rebind