pawn
verb (used with object)
to deposit as security, as for money borrowed, especially with a pawnbroker.
pawned
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past participleof pawn.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
-
past tense formof pawn.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
pawnverb (used with object)to deposit as security, as for money borrowed, especially with a pawnbroker.
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.
"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
I went in and asked the clerk if anyone had pawned a Tiffany watch and about 200 CDs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2023
She’s knocking her rings together, topaz, I think, like the kind my mom once pawned when she wanted to buy Olivia concert tickets for her thirteenth birthday.
From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera
