Meaning & use
a bounce house
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A large inflated structure that children jump and play on, often rented for parties.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a bounce house' or 'two bounce houses'.
Patterns
- rent a bounce house
- set up a bounce house
- jump in a bounce house
The kids spent all afternoon jumping in the bounce house at the birthday party.
We rented a bounce house for my son's fifth birthday.
The bounce house deflated after a few hours, so the children moved on to other games.
Word forms
| plural | bounce houses |
|---|
Common combinations
- rent a bounce house
- We decided to rent a bounce house for the school fair.
- inflatable bounce house
- The inflatable bounce house was the highlight of the party.
- bounce house business
- He started a bounce house business to earn extra money on weekends.
- jump in a bounce house
- The children love to jump in a bounce house when it's sunny.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bouncy castle
- The usual British term for the same thing; use it in British English contexts.
- inflatable
- A more general word for any inflated structure; 'bounce house' is more specific.
Word family
Commonly confused: a bounce house or bouncy castle?
a bounce house vs bouncy castle
Same object but the British term; learners may hear both depending on where they are.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'bounce house' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A bounce house is for jumping and playing, so 'jumped happily in the bounce house' fits. The other options describe actions that don't match the object.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a bounce house”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.