pound

[ pound ]

/ paʊnd /

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verb (used with object)

to strike repeatedly with great force, as with an instrument, the fist, heavy missiles, etc.

to produce or effect by striking or thumping, or in a manner resembling this (often followed by out): to pound out a tune on the piano.

to force (a way) by battering; batter (often followed by down): He pounded his way through the mob. He pounded the door down.

to crush into a powder or paste by beating repeatedly.

verb (used without object)

to strike heavy blows repeatedly: to pound on a door.

to beat or throb violently, as the heart.

to give forth a thumping sound: The drums pounded loudly.

to walk or go with heavy steps; move along with force or vigor.

noun

the act of pounding.

a heavy or forcible blow.

a thump.

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Origin of pound

First recorded before 1000; Middle English pounen, ponne “to pulverize, crush, powder,” Old English pūnian “to pound, beat”; akin to Dutch puin “rubbish.” The final, unetymological -d appears in the16th century

synonym study for pound

1. See beat.

OTHER WORDS FROM pound

pounder, noun

Words nearby pound

poultice, poultry, poultryman, pounce, pouncet box, pound, poundage, poundal, pound cake, pound cost averaging, pounder

Other definitions for pound (2 of 4)

pound²

[ pound ]

/ paʊnd /

noun, plural pounds, (collectively) pound.

a unit of weight and of mass, varying in different periods and countries.

(in English-speaking countries) an avoirdupois unit of weight equal to 7000 grains, divided into 16 ounces (0.453 kilogram), used for ordinary commerce. Abbreviations: lb., lb. av.
a troy unit of weight, in the U.S. and formerly in Britain, equal to 5760 grains, divided into 12 ounces (0.373 kilogram), used for gold, silver, and other precious metals. Abbreviation: lb. t.
(in the United States) an apothecaries' unit of weight equal to 5760 grains, divided into 12 ounces (0.373 kilogram). Abbreviation: lb. ap.

Also called pound sterling. a paper money, nickel-brass coin, and monetary unit of the United Kingdom formerly equal to 20 shillings or 240 pence: equal to 100 new pence after decimalization in Feb. 1971. Abbreviation: L; Symbol: £

any of the monetary units of various countries, as Egypt, Lebanon, Sudan, Syria, and of certain Commonwealth of Nations countries.

a monetary unit of Ireland until the euro was adopted, equal to 100 pence.

a monetary unit of Cyprus until the euro was adopted, equal to 100 cents.

Also called pound Scots. a former Scottish money of account, originally equal to the pound sterling but equal to only a twelfth of the pound sterling at the union of the crowns of England and Scotland in 1603.

(formerly) the Turkish lira.

a former monetary unit of Israel, Libya, and Nigeria.

pounds, Citizens Band Radio Slang. a meter reading in units of five decibels: used as a measure of loudness for incoming signals.

Origin of pound

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English pund (cognate with Dutch pond, German Pfund, Gothic, Old Norse pund ), ultimately from Latin pondō “by weight, in weight” (adverb), in the phrase libra pondō “a pound by weight”; see origin at ponder, libra¹

Other definitions for pound (3 of 4)

pound³

[ pound ]

/ paʊnd /

noun

an enclosure maintained by local government for confining stray or homeless animals: dog pound.

an enclosure for sheltering, keeping, or confining livestock, or for trapping wild animals.

an enclosure or trap for fish.

a place of confinement or imprisonment.

a place or area where cars or other vehicles are impounded, as those towed away for being illegally parked: I not only had to go all the way across town to the pound, but had to pay a killer fine.

reach (def. 26).

verb (used with object)

Archaic. to shut up in or as in a pound; impound; imprison.

Origin of pound

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English poond; compare Late Old English pund- in pundfald “animal pound, fold;” see origin at pinfold; akin to pond

Other definitions for pound (4 of 4)

Pound

[ pound ]

/ paʊnd /

noun

Ezra Loo·mis

[loo-mis], /ˈlu mɪs/, 1885–1972, U.S. poet.

Louise, 1872–1958, U.S. scholar and linguist.

her brother, Roscoe, 1870–1964, U.S. legal scholar and writer.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pound in a sentence

Soros Fund Management, the hedge fund still best known for “breaking” the Bank of England with its 1992 bet against the pound, has also tentatively returned to its roots.
Hedge Fund ‘Pirates’ Set Sail Again|Daniel Malloy|August 21, 2020|Ozy
Anything you can do to accelerate the rate of conventional breeding is going to reduce the environmental footprint of a glass of milk or a pound of meat.
Biotechnology Could Change the Cattle Industry. Will It Succeed?|Dyllan Furness|August 16, 2020|Singularity Hub
Humans even hold their own, pound for pound, against other meat-eating animals.
When it comes to downing hot dogs, science says there’s a limit|Jonathan Lambert|August 7, 2020|Science News For Students
In San Diego, between January and March, drug seizures of all kinds fell from 14,784 pounds to 4,901 pounds, though numbers have started to increase more recently.
Border Report: The Pandemic Has Upended the Illegal Drug Trade|Maya Srikrishnan|June 22, 2020|Voice of San Diego

Lower than 50 percent because food is more expensive, per pound, in restaurants.
What Happens When Everyone Stays Home to Eat? (Ep. 412)|Stephen J. Dubner|April 9, 2020|Freakonomics
Someone slipped me something while I was making Pound, and I had two choices—go to the hospital, or keep working.
The Renegade: Robert Downey Sr. on His Classic Films, Son’s Battle with Drugs, and Bill Cosby|Marlow Stern|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There only be nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety pound here.
Inside London’s Wild Brixton Academy: How Gangsters and Kurt Cobain Made It London’s Top Music Venue|Tom Sykes|September 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The news reports of the speech quoted that line, so it became the pound cake speech.
A Full-Length Bill Cosby Portrait: From Track Star to Ugly Sweaters|Scott Porch|September 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A leopard seal is “about a thousand-pound animal with lots of teeth,” Perryman explains.
Soon We’ll Be Watching Whales By Drone|Abigail Golden|August 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Today, ivory prices are at record highs, having tripled since that 2008 auction, up to around $1,500 a pound.
A World Without Elephants? Blame China|Michael Tomasky|August 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At this period it brought enormous prices, the finest selling at from fifteen to eighteen shillings per pound.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
Body o' me, here's the remainder of seven pound since yesterday was seven-night!
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
The duty on importation had been only twopence per pound, a moderate sum in view of the prices realized by the sale of it.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
In fact, I'm nothing but a quarter of a pound of 'plain,' and the price isn't worth mentioning.
Davy and The Goblin|Charles E. Carryl
Sometimes a piece weighing nearly a pound is found, and a weight of even ten pounds is recorded.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.

British Dictionary definitions for pound (1 of 4)

pound¹

/ (paʊnd) /

verb

(when intr, often foll by on or at) to strike heavily and often

(tr) to beat to a pulp; pulverize

(tr) to instil by constant drillingto pound Latin into him

(tr foll by out) to produce, as by typing heavily

to walk (the pavement, street, etc) repeatedlyhe pounded the pavement looking for a job

(intr) to throb heavily

noun

a heavy blow; thump

the act of pounding

Derived forms of pound

pounder, noun

Word Origin for pound

Old English pūnian; related to Dutch puin rubble

British Dictionary definitions for pound (2 of 4)

pound²

/ (paʊnd) /

noun

an enclosure, esp one maintained by a public authority, for keeping officially removed vehicles or distrained goods or animals, esp stray dogs

a place where people are confined

a trap for animals
a trap or keepnet for fishSee pound net

verb

(tr) to confine in or as if in a pound; impound, imprison, or restrain

Word Origin for pound

C14: from Late Old English pund- as in pundfeald pinfold

British Dictionary definitions for pound (3 of 4)

pound³

/ (paʊnd) /

noun

an avoirdupois unit of weight that is divided into 16 ounces and is equal to 0.453 592 kilogramsAbbreviation: lb

a troy unit of weight divided into 12 ounces equal to 0.373 242 kilogramsAbbreviation: lb tr, lb t

an apothecaries' unit of weight, used in the US, that is divided into 5760 grains and is equal to one pound troy

(not in technical usage) a unit of force equal to the mass of 1 pound avoirdupois where the acceleration of free fall is 32.174 feet per second per secondAbbreviation: lbf

the standard monetary unit of the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, and various UK overseas territories, divided into 100 penceOfficial name: pound sterling
(as modifier)a pound coin

(the standard monetary unit of the following countries)

Cyprus: divided into 100 cents
Egypt: divided into 100 piastres
Lebanon: divided into 100 piastres
South Sudan: divided into 100 piastres
Syria: divided into 100 piastres

another name for lira (def. 2)

Also called: pound Scots a former Scottish monetary unit originally worth an English pound but later declining in value to 1 shilling 8 pence

Also called: punt the former standard monetary unit of the Republic of Ireland, divided into 100 pence; replaced by the euro in 2002

a former monetary unit of the Sudan replaced by the dinar in 1992

Word Origin for pound

Old English pund, from Latin pondō pound; related to German Pfund pound, Latin pondus weight

British Dictionary definitions for pound (4 of 4)

Pound

/ (paʊnd) /

noun

Ezra (Loomis). 1885–1972, US poet, translator, and critic, living in Europe. Indicted for treason by the US government (1945) for pro-Fascist broadcasts during World War II, he was committed to a mental hospital until 1958. He was a founder of imagism and championed the early work of such writers as T. S. Eliot, Joyce, and Hemingway. His life work, the Cantos (1925–70), is an unfinished sequence of poems, which incorporates mythological and historical materials in several languages as well as political, economic, and autobiographical elements

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

Scientific definitions for pound

pound

[ pound ]

A unit of weight in the US Customary System equal to 16 ounces (0.45 kilograms). See Table at measurement. See Note at weight.

Other Idioms and Phrases with pound

pound

In addition to the idioms beginning with pound

pound of flesh
pound out
pound the pavement

also see:

in for a penny, in for a pound
penny wise, pound foolish

pound

Origin of pound

synonym study for pound

OTHER WORDS FROM pound

Words nearby pound

Other definitions for pound (2 of 4)

Origin of pound

Other definitions for pound (3 of 4)

Origin of pound

Other definitions for pound (4 of 4)

Words related to pound

How to use pound in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pound (1 of 4)

Derived forms of pound

Word Origin for pound

British Dictionary definitions for pound (2 of 4)

Word Origin for pound

British Dictionary definitions for pound (3 of 4)

Word Origin for pound

British Dictionary definitions for pound (4 of 4)

Scientific definitions for pound

Other Idioms and Phrases with pound