pond

American  

[pond] / pɒnd /

noun

• ponds
  plural

1. a body of water smaller than a lake, sometimes artificially formed, as by damming a stream.

2. Informal. the pond, the Atlantic Ocean.

   American companies are finding business is different on the other side of the pond.

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verb (used without object)

1. (especially of water) to collect into a pond or large puddle.

   to prevent rainwater from ponding on the roof.

pond British  

/ pɒnd /

noun

1. 1. a pool of still water, often artificially created

   2. ( in combination )

      a fishpond

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pond Scientific  

/ pŏnd /

1. An inland body of standing water that is smaller than a lake. Natural ponds form in small depressions and are usually shallow enough to support rooted vegetation across most or all of their areas.

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pond Idioms  

1. see big fish in a small pond; little frog in a big pond.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• ponds
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pond

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English ponde, pande, akin to Old English pynding “dam,” gepyndan “to impound.” See pound ³

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pond ponds

There is also a sizable swimming pool overlooking a fenced, lighted tennis court, as well as a serene pond with a charming bridge pathway running over it.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

Brophy is a hiker, and her Apple watch last pinged her at a trail head near the pond, according to the nonprofit support group.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

Dams have been made with willow wood from pond restoration projects on the Attingham estate.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

A revealing dispatch from across the pond: Kim Kardashian’s underwear empire has expanded to the U.K., to much fanfare.

From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026

A fish wiggled out from a muddy clump on her head and plopped back into the pond.

From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown

“A resort-style pool, tranquil lily ponds, meandering pathways, shaded terraces, and a full-size tennis court create moments of both recreation and quiet reflection, where the sounds of nature replace the pace of everyday life.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

Rangers and volunteers at Attingham Park, in Atcham, have been building dams, restoring ponds and planting trees, in a bid to use their land as a sponge for the River Severn and River Tern.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

The tiny fish have a voracious appetite and work wonders as natural mosquito-control agents in abandoned swimming pools, small residential ponds, and other confined aquatic habitats.

From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026

Juvenile coho salmon began to use the ponds within weeks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

The beaver ponds are never more than chest deep, but the water is cold, and as we slosh forward, our feet chum the muck on the bottom into a foul-smelling miasma of decomposing slime.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer

Related Words

• basin
• lagoon
• pool
• puddle