pound

[ pound ]

/ paʊnd /

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.

Words nearby pound

poultice, poultry, poultryman, pounce, pouncet box, pound, pound cake, pound cost averaging, pound key, pound net, pound of flesh

Origin of pound

before 1000; Middle English pounen, Old English pūnian; akin to Dutch puin rubbish

OTHER WORDS FROM pound

pound·er, noun

synonym study for pound

1. See beat.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for pound out (1 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

British Dictionary definitions for pound out (2 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 out (3 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 out (4 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

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

Medical definitions for pound out

pound

[ pound ]

n.

A unit of weight that is the basis of the avoirdupois system, equal to 16 ounces or 453.592 grams.

A unit of apothecary weight equal to 12 ounces or 373.242 grams.

Scientific definitions for pound out

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.

Idioms and Phrases with pound out (1 of 2)

pound out

Produce, especially on a keyboard, as in I can pound out another résumé, or She was pounding out song after song on the piano. [c. 1900]

Idioms and Phrases with pound out (2 of 2)

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

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

Content related to pound

Words nearby pound

Origin of pound

OTHER WORDS FROM pound

synonym study for pound

British Dictionary definitions for pound out (1 of 4)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for pound out (2 of 4)

verb

noun

Derived forms of pound

Word Origin for pound

British Dictionary definitions for pound out (3 of 4)

noun

verb

Word Origin for pound

British Dictionary definitions for pound out (4 of 4)

noun

Word Origin for pound

Medical definitions for pound out

n.

Scientific definitions for pound out

Idioms and Phrases with pound out (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with pound out (2 of 2)