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ironbound

American  
[ahy-ern-bound] / ˈaɪ ərnˈbaʊnd /

adjective

  1. bound with iron.

  2. rock-bound; rugged.

  3. hard; rigid; unyielding.


ironbound British  
/ ˈaɪənˌbaʊnd /

adjective

  1. bound with iron

  2. unyielding; inflexible

  3. (of a coast) rocky; rugged

"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

Etymology

Origin of ironbound

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at iron, -bound 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Right now, he’s piloting “Man of La Mancha,” and he’s so excited that he brings a model of designer Allen Moyer’s dark, ironbound prison set and Ann Hould-Ward’s costume sketches to an interview.

From Washington Post Mar. 19, 2015

He described 19th-century “path-makers,” highbred gentlemen who spent summers armchair-engineering intricate paths around Mount Desert Island’s barren 1,500-foot peaks, glacial lakes and ironbound shoreline.

From New York Times Aug. 8, 2014

Protected from foreign criticism by a shield of ironbound censorship, the average Argentine had been left to believe that outsiders loved Argentina.

From Time Magazine Archive

No adult productions reflect as limpidly as theirs the ironbound sobriety of that period.

From Time Magazine Archive

In the heavy ironbound chest at the foot of Bran's bed the maester found smallclothes, breeches, and tunic.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

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