pound
1to strike repeatedly with great force, as with an instrument, the fist, heavy missiles, etc.
to produce or effect by striking or thumping, or in a manner resembling this (often followed by out): to pound out a tune on the piano.
to force (a way) by battering; batter (often followed by down): He pounded his way through the mob. He pounded the door down.
to crush into a powder or paste by beating repeatedly.
to strike heavy blows repeatedly: to pound on a door.
to beat or throb violently, as the heart.
to give forth a thumping sound: The drums pounded loudly.
to walk or go with heavy steps; move along with force or vigor.
the act of pounding.
a heavy or forcible blow.
a thump.
Origin of pound
1synonym study For pound
Other words from pound
- pounder, noun
Other definitions for pound (2 of 4)
a unit of weight and of mass, varying in different periods and countries.
(in English-speaking countries) an avoirdupois unit of weight equal to 7000 grains, divided into 16 ounces (0.453 kilogram), used for ordinary commerce. Abbreviations: lb., lb. av.
a troy unit of weight, in the U.S. and formerly in Britain, equal to 5760 grains, divided into 12 ounces (0.373 kilogram), used for gold, silver, and other precious metals. Abbreviation: lb. t.
(in the United States) an apothecaries' unit of weight equal to 5760 grains, divided into 12 ounces (0.373 kilogram). Abbreviation: lb. ap.
Also called pound sterling. a paper money, nickel-brass coin, and monetary unit of the United Kingdom formerly equal to 20 shillings or 240 pence: equal to 100 new pence after decimalization in Feb. 1971. Abbreviation: L; Symbol: £
any of the monetary units of various countries, as Egypt, Lebanon, Sudan, Syria, and of certain Commonwealth of Nations countries.
a monetary unit of Ireland until the euro was adopted, equal to 100 pence.
a monetary unit of Cyprus until the euro was adopted, equal to 100 cents.
Also called pound Scots. a former Scottish money of account, originally equal to the pound sterling but equal to only a twelfth of the pound sterling at the union of the crowns of England and Scotland in 1603.
(formerly) the Turkish lira.
a former monetary unit of Israel, Libya, and Nigeria.
pounds, Citizens Band Radio Slang. a meter reading in units of five decibels: used as a measure of loudness for incoming signals.
Origin of pound
2Other definitions for pound (3 of 4)
an enclosure maintained by local government for confining stray or homeless animals: dog pound.
an enclosure for sheltering, keeping, or confining livestock, or for trapping wild animals.
an enclosure or trap for fish.
a place of confinement or imprisonment.
a place or area where cars or other vehicles are impounded, as those towed away for being illegally parked: I not only had to go all the way across town to the pound, but had to pay a killer fine.
Archaic. to shut up in or as in a pound; impound; imprison.
Origin of pound
3Other definitions for Pound (4 of 4)
Ezra Loo·mis [loo-mis], /ˈlu mɪs/, 1885–1972, U.S. poet.
Louise, 1872–1958, U.S. scholar and linguist.
her brother, Roscoe, 1870–1964, U.S. legal scholar and writer.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use pound in a sentence
On NAFTA, Lighthizer’s willingness to tell business groups to pound sand was made possible by his skillful navigation of Congress, which has to sign off on comprehensive trade deals.
Robert Lighthizer Blew Up 60 Years of Trade Policy. Nobody Knows What Happens Next. | by Lydia DePillis | October 13, 2020 | ProPublicaThe boots weigh only two pounds, so they feel more like sneakers.
Clothing and accessories that make great gifts | PopSci Commerce Team | October 6, 2020 | Popular-ScienceHe extracted pounds of the material from several locations across San Benito Mountain, shoveled them into Ziploc bags, and shipped them to a pair of labs for analysis.
Asbestos could be a powerful weapon against climate change (you read that right) | James Temple | October 6, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewThis book is a whopper, you won’t be disappointed when you receive your book with over 460 pages that collectively weigh over twelve pounds.
Space-related coffee table books that are out of this world | PopSci Commerce Team | October 1, 2020 | Popular-ScienceIt’s not cheap, but it weighs just over a pound in a slim package that doesn’t take up too much room in my pack.
Grad rockets pounded Donetsk and Luhansk this week, and human rights monitors say Kiev is behind the carnage.
Ukraine Denies Deadly Grad Rocket Attacks on Donetsk | Anna Nemtsova | July 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThey buried the dead, delivered the coal and the milk, and women police auxiliaries pounded the streets.
You remember—Romney and Ryan pounded on Obama about that $716 billion.
I've been pounding this drum for a long time, and it needs to be pounded some more.
Why It’s Time To Start Talking About Reforming, Not Repealing, Obamacare | David Frum | November 17, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTSensitive flesh is pounded raw, and muscles are stretched to their limits.
At the mention of the doughty Scot I pounded the floor with my crutch and repeated "Dug—dug—dug."
The Soldier of the Valley | Nelson LloydOthers pounded the skins with their hands, and still others pounded with hammers of reindeer horn.
The Later Cave-Men | Katharine Elizabeth DoppThe deacon pounded on the porch with his nearly finished leg, and grew red in the face.
Scattergood Baines | Clarence Budington KellandGet, at a druggist's, half an ounce of each of these articles, and have them mixed and pounded together in a mortar.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness | Florence HartleyCakes of dates pounded and kneaded together are the food of the Arabs who traverse the deserts.
The Wonder Book of Knowledge | Various
British Dictionary definitions for pound (1 of 4)
/ (paʊnd) /
(when intr, often foll by on or at) to strike heavily and often
(tr) to beat to a pulp; pulverize
(tr) to instil by constant drilling: to pound Latin into him
(tr foll by out) to produce, as by typing heavily
to walk (the pavement, street, etc) repeatedly: he pounded the pavement looking for a job
(intr) to throb heavily
a heavy blow; thump
the act of pounding
Origin of pound
1Derived forms of pound
- pounder, noun
British Dictionary definitions for pound (2 of 4)
/ (paʊnd) /
an enclosure, esp one maintained by a public authority, for keeping officially removed vehicles or distrained goods or animals, esp stray dogs
a place where people are confined
a trap for animals
a trap or keepnet for fish: See pound net
(tr) to confine in or as if in a pound; impound, imprison, or restrain
Origin of pound
2British Dictionary definitions for pound (3 of 4)
/ (paʊnd) /
an avoirdupois unit of weight that is divided into 16 ounces and is equal to 0.453 592 kilograms: Abbreviation: lb
a troy unit of weight divided into 12 ounces equal to 0.373 242 kilograms: Abbreviation: lb tr, lb t
an apothecaries' unit of weight, used in the US, that is divided into 5760 grains and is equal to one pound troy
(not in technical usage) a unit of force equal to the mass of 1 pound avoirdupois where the acceleration of free fall is 32.174 feet per second per second: Abbreviation: lbf
the standard monetary unit of the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, and various UK overseas territories, divided into 100 pence: Official name: pound sterling
(as modifier): a pound coin
(the standard monetary unit of the following countries)
Cyprus: divided into 100 cents
Egypt: divided into 100 piastres
Lebanon: divided into 100 piastres
South Sudan: divided into 100 piastres
Syria: divided into 100 piastres
another name for lira (def. 2)
Also called: pound Scots a former Scottish monetary unit originally worth an English pound but later declining in value to 1 shilling 8 pence
Also called: punt the former standard monetary unit of the Republic of Ireland, divided into 100 pence; replaced by the euro in 2002
a former monetary unit of the Sudan replaced by the dinar in 1992
Origin of pound
3British Dictionary definitions for Pound (4 of 4)
/ (paʊnd) /
Ezra (Loomis). 1885–1972, US poet, translator, and critic, living in Europe. Indicted for treason by the US government (1945) for pro-Fascist broadcasts during World War II, he was committed to a mental hospital until 1958. He was a founder of imagism and championed the early work of such writers as T. S. Eliot, Joyce, and Hemingway. His life work, the Cantos (1925–70), is an unfinished sequence of poems, which incorporates mythological and historical materials in several languages as well as political, economic, and autobiographical elements
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for pound
[ pound ]
A unit of weight in the US Customary System equal to 16 ounces (0.45 kilograms). See Table at measurement. See Note at weight.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with pound
In addition to the idioms beginning with pound
- pound of flesh
- pound out
- pound the pavement
also see:
- in for a penny, in for a pound
- penny wise, pound foolish
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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