2 → see also bounce
bouncy /baʊ nsi/
1 ADJ Someone or something that is bouncy is very lively. □ She was bouncy and full of energy.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A bouncy thing can bounce very well or makes other things bounce well. □ …a children's paradise filled with bouncy toys. □ …a bouncy chair.
bou ncy cas|tle (bouncy castles ) N‑COUNT A bouncy castle is a large object filled with air, often in the shape of a castle, which children play on at a fairground or other outdoor event.
bound
➊ BE BOUND
➋ OTHER USES
➊ bound ◆◇◇ /baʊ nd/
1 Bound is the past tense and past participle of bind .
2 PHRASE If you say that something is bound to happen, you mean that you are sure it will happen, because it is a natural consequence of something that is already known or exists. □ There are bound to be price increases next year. □ If you are topless in a public place, this sort of thing is bound to happen.
3 PHRASE If you say that something is bound to happen or be true, you feel confident and certain of it, although you have no definite knowledge or evidence. [SPOKEN ] □ I'll show it to Benjamin. He's bound to know. □ We'll have more than one child, and one of them's bound to be a boy.
4 ADJ If one person, thing, or situation is bound to another, they are closely associated with each other, and it is difficult for them to be separated or to escape from each other. □ [+ to ] We are as tightly bound to the people we dislike as to the people we love.
5 ADJ If a vehicle or person is bound for a particular place, they are travelling towards it. □ [+ for ] The ship was bound for Italy. □ [+ for ] …a Russian plane bound for Berlin. ● COMB -bound is also a combining form. □ …a Texas-bound oil freighter. □ …homeward-bound commuters.
6 PHRASE If something is bound up in a particular form or place, it is fixed in that form or contained in that place. □ He does not like having a large chunk of his wealth bound up in shares.
7 PHRASE If one thing is bound up with or in another, they are closely connected with each other, and it is difficult to consider the two things separately. □ My fate was bound up with hers. □ Their interests were completely bound up in their careers.
8 → see also bind over
➋ bound ◆◇◇ /baʊ nd/ (bounds , bounding , bounded )
→ Please look at category 10 to see if the expression you are looking for is shown under another headword.
1 N‑PLURAL [usu within/beyond N ] Bounds are limits which normally restrict what can happen or what people can do. □ Changes in temperature occur slowly and are constrained within relatively tight bounds. □ [+ of ] …a forceful personality willing to go beyond the bounds of convention. □ [+ of ] …the bounds of good taste.
2 VERB If an area of land is bounded by something, that thing is situated around its edge. □ [be V -ed + by ] The area is bounded by Oxford Street to the north and Leicester Square to the south. □ [V n] …the trees that bounded the car park. □ [V -ed] …the park, bounded by two busy main roads and a huge housing estate.
3 V-PASSIVE If someone's life or situation is bounded by certain things, those are its most important aspects and it is limited or restricted by them. □ [be V -ed + by ] Our lives are bounded by work, family and television.
4 VERB If a person or animal bounds in a particular direction, they move quickly with large steps or jumps. □ [V prep/adv] He bounded up the steps and pushed the bell of the door.
5 N‑COUNT [usu sing] A bound is a long or high jump. [LITERARY ] □ With one bound Jack was free.
6 VERB If the quantity or performance of something bounds ahead, it increases or improves quickly and suddenly. □ [V adv] The shares bounded ahead a further 11p to 311p.
7 PHRASE If you say that a feeling or quality knows no bounds , you are emphasizing that it is very strong or intense. [EMPHASIS ] □ The passion of Argentinian football fans knows no bounds.
8 PHRASE If a place is out of bounds , people are not allowed to go there. □ For the last few days the area has been out of bounds to foreign journalists.
9 PHRASE If something is out of bounds , people are not allowed to do it, use it, see it, or know about it. □ The subject is out of bounds today.
10 leaps and bounds → see leap
-bound /-baʊnd/
1 COMB -bound combines with nouns to form adjectives which describe a person who finds it impossible or very difficult to leave the specified place. □ I'm pretty desk-bound, which is very frustrating.
2 COMB -bound combines with nouns to form adjectives which describe a place that is greatly affected by the specified type of weather. □ Three people were hurt in a 12-car pile up on a fog-bound motorway yesterday.
3 COMB -bound combines with nouns to form adjectives which describe something or someone that is prevented from working properly or is badly affected by the specified situation. [WRITTEN ] □ …the tradition-bound officers of the navy.
4 → see also bound ➊ 5 , duty-bound , muscle-bound
bounda|ry /baʊ ndəri/ (boundaries )