Phrase guide

dead cat bounce

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /dɛd kæt bəʊ̯ns/
  • Received-Pronunciation: [dɛd kæt bəʊ̯n(t)s]
  • Received-Pronunciation: [-baʊ̯n(t)s-]
  • General-American: /dɛd kæt baʊ̯ns/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A temporary recovery in the price of a financial instrument which has fallen rapidly and is expected to fall further in the long run.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

Topics: business, finance, trading

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From the idea that a cat dropped from a height might bounce without this indicating any actual life after hitting the ground.

Across languages

Translations

5 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 死貓反彈 /死猫反弹 (sǐ māo fǎndàn) — temporary recovery in the price of an instrument
  • Finnish: kuolleen kissan pomppu — temporary recovery in the price of an instrument
  • German: Dead-Cat-Bounce — temporary recovery in the price of an instrument
  • Japanese: デッド・キャット・バウンス (deddo kyatto baunsu) — temporary recovery in the price of an instrument
  • Korean: 데드 캣 바운스 (dedeu kaet baunseu) — temporary recovery in the price of an instrument