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pawning

  • present participle of pawn.

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.

She’s hoping to avoid pawning something or paying a bill late.

From Slate • Apr. 19, 2026

I offended an acolyte who caught me pawning off the dessert basket she brought me to a neighbor, and insulted a coworker who’d gifted me holiday champagne by saying, “Don’t you know I don’t drink?”

From Salon • Dec. 30, 2023

The 36-year-old has just redeemed her son's Xbox after pawning it a few weeks earlier to be able to pay for some food shopping.

From BBC • May 13, 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

Finally I came upon a nearly deserted shop where, despite being tongue-tied at first, I succeeded in pawning a cup that belonged to my father.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein