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Glite Dictionary
to bounce ideas off

to bounce ideas off

8 3.9
To tell someone your ideas to get their feedback and suggestions
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
: intercambiar ideas
  • Growing our concept was easier when we bounced ideas off one another rather than pondering it solo.
  • bounce ideas off

I would think that you should use this time a little bit solo and then we'll have a chance to maybe bounce some ideas off.

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Examples

  • So if you think it's appropriate, I'd like to bounce the idea off a few people at lunch.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Sometimes it helps to find someone to bounce ideas off of, someone who will be honest and help you decide which ideas would make the best stories.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • And so the, this idea of having the right person to bounce ideas off is obviously very, very important.

  • I have a few ideas I want to bounce off everyone.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • "We know what our philosophy is and what our thinking is, and we can bounce ideas off each other.

    Blog text (11)

  • I'd love to bounce ideas off you to see what I can get.

    Blog text (17)

  • I really need to understand things by bouncing ideas off others.

    Blog text (32)

  • We talk about technical problems with TOS, and we bounce ideas off each other, but something's gone.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • I was brainstorming with Emptywheel about this a bit this morning, bouncing some ideas off her, and here's what we discussed:

    Blog text (9)

  • It's great to have a mentor to bounce ideas off during the planning phase of my project.

Synonyms

to kick around
vsto bounce ideas off
  • Informal
9 4.6

Discuss an idea informally without making a decision

aims to gain useful feedback and suggestions to improve ideas
to spitball
vsto bounce ideas off
  • Informal
8 7.8

To offer ideas quickly without much planning

seeks constructive feedback to polish ideas rather than just suggest them
to bounce around
vsto bounce ideas off
  • Informal
1 3.9

Discuss ideas informally with other people

presents ideas mainly to get direct feedback and help improve them
to pick someone's brain
vsto bounce ideas off
  • Informal
3.8

To ask someone for ideas or advice about something they know well

presents ideas to someone to get feedback and refine them

Antonyms

to ignore
∞ 1.0

Choose not to pay attention to someone or something

to dismiss
332 3.0

To refuse to accept an idea or claim

How Collaborative

to bounce ideas off
  • Informal
8 3.9
to brainstorm
39 3.4

Surface Forms

bounce ideas off infinitive
bounced ideas off past
bounced ideas off past participle
bouncing ideas off present participle
bounces ideas off third person singular

Morphology

bounce + idea + off

The expression builds on the literal sense of 'bounce' (rebound) and 'off' (against someone) applied to 'ideas', so a learner might infer a sense of testing or sending ideas to someone for a reaction. However, the pragmatic meaning 'to solicit feedback or help refining ideas' is a metaphorical extension and not fully predictable from the parts alone, making it only partially transparent.

Etymology

Bounce ideas off comes from the simple picture of a ball hitting a wall and coming back; you bounce your ideas off another person so the idea returns changed. That's why it means 'to ask someone for feedback or suggestions'.