ironbound
Americanadjective
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bound with iron
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unyielding; inflexible
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(of a coast) rocky; rugged
Etymology
Origin of ironbound
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at iron, -bound 1
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.
Right now, he’s piloting “Man of La Mancha,” and he’s so excited that he brings a model of designer Allen Moyer’s dark, ironbound prison set and Ann Hould-Ward’s costume sketches to an interview.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 19, 2015
He described 19th-century “path-makers,” highbred gentlemen who spent summers armchair-engineering intricate paths around Mount Desert Island’s barren 1,500-foot peaks, glacial lakes and ironbound shoreline.
From New York Times ● Aug. 8, 2014
They even suggested that they might try for a change of venue to get the case out of ironbound Judge Wilkerson's court.
From Time Magazine Archive
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Now that the first flush of hero stories had almost run its course, more comprehensive news about the Solomon Islands began to find its way through the ironbound Navy censorship.
From Time Magazine Archive
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On the far side of the house I found him pressed close against the old ironbound oak door of the chapel.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
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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.