pawn
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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pawns,
present (3rd person singular)
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pawned,
past participle, past
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pawning
present participle
-
to deposit as security, as for money borrowed, especially with a pawnbroker.
He raised the money by pawning his watch.
-
to pawn one's life.
noun
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the state of being deposited or held as security, especially with or by a pawnbroker.
jewels in pawn.
-
something given or deposited as security, as for money borrowed.
- Synonyms:
- pledge
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a person serving as security; hostage.
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the act of pawning.
verb
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to deposit (an article) as security for the repayment of a loan, esp from a pawnbroker
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to stake
to pawn one's honour
noun
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an article deposited as security
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the condition of being so deposited (esp in the phrase in pawn )
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a person or thing that is held as a security, esp a hostage
-
the act of pawning
noun
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P. a chessman of the lowest theoretical value, limited to forward moves of one square at a time with the option of two squares on its initial move: it captures with a diagonal move only Compare piece
-
a person, group, etc, manipulated by another
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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pawnsimple
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pawnssimple
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have pawnedperfect
-
has pawnedperfect
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am pawningprogressive
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are pawningprogressive
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is pawningprogressive
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have been pawningperfect progressive
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has been pawningperfect progressive
Past
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pawnedsimple
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had pawnedperfect
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was pawningprogressive
-
were pawningprogressive
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had been pawningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of pawn1
First recorded in 1490–1500; noun from Middle French pan; Old French pan(d), pant, apparently from West Germanic; compare Old Frisian pand, Old Saxon, Middle Dutch pant, German Pfand; verb derivative of the noun
Origin of pawn2
First recorded in 1375–1425; Middle English poun(e), paun, from Anglo-French, equivalent to Middle French poon, variant of paon, earlier pe(h)on “foot soldier,” literally, “walker”; see origin at peon 1
Explanation
To pawn something is to use it as collateral when you're borrowing money. When you pawn a necklace at a pawn shop, you get cash in exchange for it with the understanding that you can buy it back later. The benefit when you pawn something is getting cash immediately. The down side is that you'll have to pay more money — the amount you borrowed, plus interest — to get your item back. If you aren't able to do this, the pawn shop will sell it to someone else. As a noun, a pawn is the smallest, least powerful piece in a game of chess, or a description of a person who's being used or manipulated.
Vocabulary lists containing pawn
Check It Out, Mate: Chess Vocabulary
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They Both Die at the End
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Mockingjay
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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:
Recent budget pressures mean more people rely on pawn loans to bridge the gap between paychecks, according to Jory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
“In those three months, pawn loan demand is usually depressed, because that’s when people start getting tax refunds,” said Kyle Joseph, an analyst at financial services firm Stephens.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
The early pieces that established his reputation were dioramas of local spots around Grangeville, such as a tattoo parlor, a pawn show and a Dairy Queen.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026
They may turn to pawn transactions and other informal borrowing arrangements.
From Barron's ● Jan. 13, 2026
Back when she and her husband had the pawn shop, Charity learned a thing or two about junk.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
Michael Winstanley told BBC Radio Manchester many in the Greater Manchester constituency were "resentful" about the by-election and felt like "political pawns".
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026
Players roll a dice to move their pawns across the board, with each landing spot corresponding to cards containing questions or instructions to act out disaster-specific responses.
From Barron's ● Dec. 29, 2025
But many American farmers are still feeling like pawns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025
Supervisor Kathryn Barger said she wanted to see reforms that would protect both taxpayers and “vulnerable individuals who are being used as pawns to line the pockets of many of these attorneys.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2025
She was still not completely sold on my claims of ignorance about that reporter’s death, and as soon as she heard Nazario mention Bodega I sensed she was sure he was one of Bodega’s pawns.
From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez
I gave him one of my horns, and he pawned it the next day.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
"I pawned my mum's rings, he just took everything I had and I was diagnosed with an aneurysm and Bell's palsy."
From BBC ● Feb. 12, 2026
It was named for Barney Pressman, who in 1923 pawned his wife’s ring, at her encouragement, for $500 to buy the lease of a small store on Seventh Avenue and 17th Street in Manhattan.
From New York Times ● Apr. 22, 2024
Migrants pawned their jewelry to pay for passage or brought their treasure to new lands.
From National Geographic ● Jan. 11, 2024
“Probably Dwight. I think he pawned it. He showed up with a big bag of shit a couple days later. Was in a pretty generous mood too.”
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
She’s hoping to avoid pawning something or paying a bill late.
From Slate ● Apr. 19, 2026
Geoffrey Simmons began pawning his items six years ago "just to fill the freezer".
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2023
The Chicago Bears are a mess again, and they are in a rebuild even if they don’t want to admit it, although pawning off Khalil Mack should have been evidence enough.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 19, 2022
His family did everything they could think of to catch up: pawning possessions, accumulating vast bank overdraft fees, borrowing money and applying for energy assistance.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 7, 2022
The way pawning works is this: You take stuff to a pawnshop.
From "Free Lunch" by Rex Ogle
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
