impound

American  

[im-pound, im-pound] / ɪmˈpaʊnd, ˈɪm paʊnd /

verb (used with object)

1. to shut up in a pound or other enclosure, as a stray animal.

2. to confine within an enclosure or within limits.

   water impounded in a reservoir.

3. to seize and retain in custody of the law, as a document for evidence.

---

noun

1. money, property, etc., that has been impounded.

   a sale of impounds by the police department.

impound British  

/ ɪmˈpaʊnd /

verb

1. to confine (stray animals, illegally parked cars, etc) in a pound

2. 1. to seize (chattels, etc) by legal right

   2. to take possession of (a document, evidence, etc) and hold in legal custody

3. to collect (water) in a reservoir or dam, as for irrigation

4. to seize or appropriate

---

Other Word Forms

• impoundable
  adjective
• impoundage
  noun
• impounder
  noun
• unimpounded
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of impound

First recorded in 1545–55; im- ³ + pound ³

Explanation

To impound something is to legally take it away from its owner. The police might impound your car if you were parked in front of a fire hydrant. Sometimes a city will impound a driver's car after they've accumulated many unpaid parking tickets. Another reason to impound someone's vehicle is because they haven't been making their loan payments — in a case like this, the bank that holds the loan might impound the car. A second meaning of impound is to shut an animal inside an enclosure or pound.

Example Sentences

With Vescovi’s dashcam pointing away from Spivey’s truck at the police impound lot, there is no video of the vehicle in the hour before Tamasi began examining it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

Hollywood Tow provides impound services on behalf of the city of Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 16, 2026

“One of my clients was trying to get his car back, and that was costing, I think, around $4,000 because there’s a $1,200 impound fee plus $600 per day that they held it,” said Goldman.

From Salon • Mar. 4, 2026

Our mortgage and impound account is about $2,450 a month on this property.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 12, 2026

They know it's gonna be hard to get that car out of impound.

From "It All Comes Down to This" by Karen English

Related Words

• imprison
• seize