on the rebound

Idioms & Phrases

on the rebound

Reacting to or recovering from an unhappy experience, especially the end of a love affair. For example, A month after breaking up with Larry, Jane got engaged to Bob, a classic case of being on the rebound. This metaphoric term, alluding to the bouncing back of a ball, has been used in the present sense since the mid-1800s, although rebound alone had been used figuratively for much longer.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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