Standard Lemma guide

jounce

noun · verb · 6 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.

  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /d͡ʒaʊn(t)s/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -aʊns

1

noun

Meaning 1

A vigorous up-and-down movement; a jolt, a shake.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: jouncing

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The fourth derivative of the position vector with respect to time; the time derivative of jerk.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: natural-sciences, physical-sciences, physics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: snap

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To shake (someone or something) up and down, for example, by driving a vehicle over obstructions or riding a horse roughly; to jolt.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To move vigorously up and down; to bounce, to bump, to jolt; also, to fall and hit something heavily.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Examples

  • Near-synonym: jostle

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: jostle

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

a sudden jarring impact

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the door closed with a jolt
  • all the jars and jolts were smoothed out by the shock absorbers

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: jolt, jar, shock

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: blow, bump

6

verb

Meaning 6

move up and down repeatedly

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bounce

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: travel, go, move, locomote

History

Etymology

The verb is derived from Late Middle English *jouncen (“to jolt violently”) (evidenced by jouncinge (“violent jolting movement”)); further etymology unknown, possibly imitative. The noun is probably derived from the verb as it is attested later.

Across languages

Translations

13 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: napse — fourth derivative of the position vector with respect to time
  • Bulgarian: друсам (drusam) — (transitive) to shake (someone or something) up and down; (intransitive) to move vigorously up and down — see also jolt
  • Czech: kodrcat se — (transitive) to shake (someone or something) up and down; (intransitive) to move vigorously up and down — see also jolt
  • Czech: strkat se — (transitive) to shake (someone or something) up and down; (intransitive) to move vigorously up and down — see also jolt
  • Finnish: ravistaa — (transitive) to shake (someone or something) up and down; (intransitive) to move vigorously up and down — see also jolt
  • German: rütteln — (transitive) to shake (someone or something) up and down; (intransitive) to move vigorously up and down — see also jolt
  • German: schütteln — (transitive) to shake (someone or something) up and down; (intransitive) to move vigorously up and down — see also jolt
  • Serbo-Croatian: drmati — (transitive) to shake (someone or something) up and down; (intransitive) to move vigorously up and down — see also jolt
  • Serbo-Croatian: drmusati — (transitive) to shake (someone or something) up and down; (intransitive) to move vigorously up and down — see also jolt
  • Ukrainian: підстрибувати (pidstrybuvaty) — (transitive) to shake (someone or something) up and down; (intransitive) to move vigorously up and down — see also jolt
  • Ukrainian: трястися (trjastysja) — (transitive) to shake (someone or something) up and down; (intransitive) to move vigorously up and down — see also jolt
  • Finnish: rojahtaa — to fall and hit something heavily
  • Finnish: tömähtää — to fall and hit something heavily