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pawnshop

American  
[pawn-shop] / ˈpɔnˌʃɒp /

noun

  1. the shop of a pawnbroker, especially one where unredeemed items are displayed and sold.

pawnshop British  
/ ˈpɔːnˌʃɒp /

noun

  1. the premises of a pawnbroker

"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 pawnshop

First recorded in 1840–50; pawn 1 + shop

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.

Typical Diamond District buyers or pawnshops don’t have coin experts on hand.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Without having a rigorous, effective enforcement, nothing’s going to happen,” said Tony DeMarco, a pawnshop owner and president of the Whittier Boulevard Merchants Assn., which opposed the ordinance.

From Los Angeles Times

“I can’t believe someone would take it and I hope local pawnshops don’t buy them.”

From Los Angeles Times

Asset-secured cards are a better gateway to credit and low interest rates than options from a pawnshop or car title loan, which also require collateral.

From Seattle Times

He sold them to booksellers, pawnshops and collectors.

From BBC

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.