rebound
noun · verb
Simple meaning
An instance of catching the ball after it has hit the rim or backboard without a basket being scored, generally credited to a particular player.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
reebowndSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɹiˈbaʊnd
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
basketball
An instance of catching the ball after it has hit the rim or backboard without a basket being scored, generally credited to a particular player.
sports
The strike of the ball after it has bounced off a defending player or the crossbar or goalpost.
The recoil of an object bouncing off another.
A return to health or well-being; a recovery.
An effort to recover from a setback.
colloquial
The period of getting over a recently ended romantic relationship.
verb
Spring back; spring away from an impact
To bound or spring back from a force.
transitive
To send back; to reverberate.
figuratively
To jump up or get back up again.
To give back an echo.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (basketball) An instance of catching the ball after it has hit the rim or backboard without a basket being scored, generally credited to a particular player.
Used this way, rebound is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a sporting use: familiar to anyone who follows the game, and puzzling to anyone who does not.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Where it naturally appears
- Sports
- News/reporting
- Everyday conversation
Nearby words
- ricochet , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use rebound
- “He is still on the rebound from his wife's death.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Pain felt when a hand pressing on the abdomen is suddenly released.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: instance of catching the ball after it has hit the rim
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.