pound sterling

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noun

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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of pound sterling

First recorded in 1625–35

Words nearby pound sterling

pound of flesh, pound out, pound puppy, pound Scots, pound sign, pound sterling, pound the pavement, pour, pourboire, pour cold water on, pour encourager les autres

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

How to use pound sterling in a sentence

The benchmark FTSE and pound sterling are trading lower in morning trade as investors remained spooked about post-Brexit talks, the country’s other existential crisis.
Who gets first dibs on a COVID-19 vaccine? The U.K.’s historic rollout today reveals who gets precedence|kdunn6|December 8, 2020|Fortune
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
Sterling came as the representative of her facility, which could not handle sending more than one person.
New York Nurses Are the Calm in Ebola’s Storm|Abby Haglage|October 21, 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
The lack of bill buyers in foreign countries who will quote as low rates on dollar as on sterling bills.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips
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

British Dictionary definitions for pound sterling

pound sterling

noun

the official name for the standard monetary unit of the United KingdomSee pound 3 (def. 5)

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