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pawns

  • present tense form
    of pawn (3rd person singular).
    pawn
    verb (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.

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Filmmakers must stop using these human pawns as a crutch until they prove they have more empathy than the bad guys themselves.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

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

Stranded on foreign soil and deprived of weapons, the whalers became pawns in a standoff between nations whose dynamics and language they did not understand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026

Come Nov. 1, they still will be pawns, but hungrier.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2025

And they do not know why; they are powerless pawns in a blind play of social forces.

From "Native Son" by Richard Wright