HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY
To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.
Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.
THE USAGE PANEL
The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions.
AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP
The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android.
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG
The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more.
INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?
Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com
v. bounced, bounc·ing, bounc·es v.intr. 1. To rebound after having struck an object or a surface. 2. To move jerkily; bump: The car bounced over the potholes. 3. To bound: children bouncing into the room. 4. To be left unpaid because of an overdrawn account: a check that bounced. 5. Computers To be sent back by a mail server as undeliverable: That email bounced because I used "com" instead of "net." 6. Baseball To hit a ground ball to an infielder: The batter bounced out to the shortstop. v.tr. 1. To cause to strike an object or a surface and rebound: bounce a ball on the sidewalk. 2. To present or propose for comment or approval. Often used with off: bounced a few ideas off my boss. 3. Slang a. To expel by force: bounced him from the bar. b. To dismiss from employment. See Synonyms at dismiss. 4. To write (a check) on an overdrawn bank account. n. Phrasal Verb: 1. a. A rebound, as of a ball from the ground. b. A sudden bound or upward movement: The bike went over the rock with a bounce. c. The capacity to rebound; spring: a ball with bounce. d. A sudden increase: got a bounce in the polls. 2. Cheerfulness or liveliness: "He had managed to recover much of his bounce and spirit" (Paul Auster). 3. Slang Expulsion; dismissal: was given the bounce from the job. 4. a. A fast, energetic style of hip-hop originating in New Orleans and characterized by repetitive, often sexual call-and-response lyrics. b. A style of dance performed to this music characterized by rapid body movements, especially of the gluteal and hamstring muscles in a way that resembles bouncing while keeping the feet on the ground. 5. Chiefly British Loud, arrogant speech; bluster. bounce back To recover quickly, as from a setback: The patient bounced back to good health. [Probably from Middle English bounsen, to beat.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
