Pound

/paʊnd/ name, noun, verb, slang

name, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: A unit of weight in various measurement systems.
  • Grammar: pound is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: british pound, dog pound, hammer, lb.
  • Useful contrasts: countless grains, cwt, ease.
  • Usage evidence: An ounce of practice is worth a pound of precept.

How to use "pound"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "pound" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "pound" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "pound" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "pound" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "pound" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "british pound" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "pound", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A unit of weight in various measurement systems.

    "B-2 bombers are the only plane capable of carrying the Massive Ordinance Penetrator, which experts have highlighted as the only type of bomb potentially capable of destroying Iran’s underground Fordow nuclear facility. Each B-2 bomber is able to carry two of these “bunker buster” bombs, which weigh an impressive 30,000 pounds each."

  2. 2
    A place for the detention of stray or wandering animals.

    "Mr. Sarnoff also sent to the pound one of the best-known dogs in the world. Nipper, the black-and-white terrier usually depicted peering with head cocked into the horn of a Victrola, listening for “His Master's Voice,” was de-emphasized as a corporate symbol."

  3. 3
    A hard blow.
  4. 4
    the act of pounding (delivering repeated heavy blows) wordnet
  5. 5
    A unit of weight in various measurement systems.; Ellipsis of pound weight. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
Show 30 more definitions
  1. 6
    The people who work for the pound. metonymically

    "(Police officer to a dog owner) "He'd better stay calm or I'll have the pound come and get him.""

  2. 7
    a public enclosure for stray or unlicensed dogs wordnet
  3. 8
    A unit of weight in various measurement systems.; Various non-English units of measure.
  4. 9
    A place for the detention of automobiles that have been illegally parked, abandoned, etc. UK

    "Inspector Douglas Todd: Where did you get a truckload of cigarettes from anyway? / Detective Axel Foley: From the Dearborn Hijacking. / Todd: The Dearborn Hijacking? That bust went down weeks ago. That load's supposed to be in the damn pound!"

  5. 10
    a symbol for a unit of currency (especially for the pound sterling in Great Britain) wordnet
  6. 11
    A unit of mass in various measurement systems.; Ellipsis of pound mass. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
  7. 12
    A section of a canal between two adjacent locks.
  8. 13
    a nontechnical unit of force equal to the mass of 1 pound with an acceleration of free fall equal to 32 feet/sec/sec wordnet
  9. 14
    A unit of mass in various measurement systems.; Various non-English units of measure.
  10. 15
    A kind of fishing net, having a large enclosure with a narrow entrance into which fish are directed by wings spreading outward.

    "Then there came a reg'lar terror of a sou'wester same as you don't get one summer in a thousand, and blowed the shanty flat and ripped about half of the weir poles out of the sand. We spent consider'ble money getting 'em reset, and then a swordfish got into the pound and tore the nets all to slathers, right in the middle of the squiteague season."

  11. 16
    the basic unit of money in Great Britain and Northern Ireland; equal to 100 pence wordnet
  12. 17
    A unit of mass in various measurement systems.; A unit of mass equal to 16 avoirdupois ounces (= 453.592 g). Today this value is the most common meaning of "pound" as a unit of weight.

    "Research shows that retaining even one or two pounds after giving birth can make problems more likely in a subsequent pregnancy, experts said, with women who have several children facing a "slippery slope" if they continue to gain weight each time."

  13. 18
    A division inside a fishing stage where cod is cured in salt brine. Newfoundland
  14. 19
    the basic unit of money in Cyprus; equal to 100 cents wordnet
  15. 20
    A unit of mass in various measurement systems.; A unit of mass equal to 12 troy ounces (≈ 373.242 g). Today, this is a common unit of mass when measuring precious metals, and is little used elsewhere.
  16. 21
    the basic unit of money in Egypt; equal to 100 piasters wordnet
  17. 22
    A unit of force in various measurement systems; Ellipsis of pound force. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
  18. 23
    formerly the basic unit of money in Ireland; equal to 100 pence wordnet
  19. 24
    A unit of force in various measurement systems; Various non-English units of measure.
  20. 25
    the basic unit of money in Lebanon; equal to 100 piasters wordnet
  21. 26
    A unit of force in various measurement systems; Ellipsis of pound-force. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, informal, non-scientific
  22. 27
    the basic unit of money in the Sudan; equal to 100 piasters wordnet
  23. 28
    A unit of currency in various currency systems.; The unit of currency used in the United Kingdom and its dependencies. It is divided into 100 pence. Symbol £.

    ""Only a hundred and ninety-three pound," said Mr. Tulliver. "You've brought less o' late; but young fellows like to have their own way with their money. Though I didn't do as I liked before I was of age." He spoke with rather timid discontent."

  24. 29
    the basic unit of money in Syria; equal to 100 piasters wordnet
  25. 30
    A unit of currency in various currency systems.; Any of various units of currency used in Egypt, Lebanon, Sudan, and Syria, and formerly in the Republic of Ireland, Cyprus, Nigeria, Israel, and South Africa.

    "He glanced back through what he had read and, while feeling his water flow quietly, he envied kindly Mr Beaufoy who had written it and received payment of three pounds, thirteen and six."

  26. 31
    16 ounces avoirdupois wordnet
  27. 32
    A unit of currency in various currency systems.; Any of various units of currency formerly used in the United States.

    "the Rhode Island pound; the New Hampshire pound"

  28. 33
    a unit of apothecary weight equal to 12 ounces troy wordnet
  29. 34
    A unit of currency in various currency systems.; Various non-English units of currency not officially called pounds. informal

    "In the report of the Special Budget Commission certifying the estimates for 1874-75, it was announced on authority that the total amount of this debt did not exceed 14,725,000 Turkish pounds(liras), or £13,000,000, while the Special Commission for the verification of the budget for 1875-76 returned the total amount at 10,309,521 Turkish pounds(liras), or £8,935,000."

  30. 35
    The symbol #. US

    "Holonym: hashtag"

Verb
  1. 1
    To wager a pound on. UK, regional, slang, transitive

    "‘Good-bye, my dear!' said Sleary. 'You'll make your fortun, I hope, and none of our poor folkth will ever trouble you, I'll pound it.’"

  2. 2
    To confine in, or as in, a pound; to impound.

    "When I short haue shorne my sowce face & swigg’d my horny barrell, In an oaken Inne I pound my skin as a suite of guilt apparrell"

  3. 3
    To strike hard, usually repeatedly. transitive

    "She had Lord James' collar in one big fist and she pounded the table with the other and talked a blue streak. Nobody could make out plain what she said, for she was mainly jabbering Swede lingo, but there was English enough, of a kind, to give us some idee."

  4. 4
    break down and crush by beating, as with a pestle wordnet
  5. 5
    To crush to pieces; to pulverize. transitive

    "Pound an onion, warm a spoonful of ghee and throw in the onion, brown it slightly, add your curry stuff, brown this till it smells pleasantly, […]"

Show 13 more definitions
  1. 6
    place or shut up in a pound wordnet
  2. 7
    To eat or drink very quickly. slang, transitive

    "You really pounded that beer!"

  3. 8
    shut up or confine in any enclosure or within any bounds or limits wordnet
  4. 9
    To pitch consistently to a certain location. slang, transitive

    "The pitcher has been pounding the outside corner all night."

  5. 10
    hit hard with the hand, fist, or some heavy instrument wordnet
  6. 11
    To beat strongly or throb. intransitive

    "As I tiptoed past the sleeping dog, my heart was pounding but I remained silent."

  7. 12
    partition off into compartments wordnet
  8. 13
    To penetrate sexually, with vigour. slang, transitive, vulgar

    "I was pounding her all night!"

  9. 14
    strike or drive against with a heavy impact wordnet
  10. 15
    To advance heavily with measured steps.

    "We pounded along, stopped, landed soldiers; went on, landed custom–house clerks to levy toll in what looked like a God–forsaken wilderness, with a tin shed and a flag–pole lost in it; landed more soldiers—to take care of the custom–house clerks, presumably."

  11. 16
    move rhythmically wordnet
  12. 17
    To make a jarring noise, as when running.

    "The engine pounds."

  13. 18
    move heavily or clumsily wordnet
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname. countable, uncountable
  2. 2
    A town in Wise County, Virginia, United States. countable, uncountable
  3. 3
    A village and town in Marinette County, Wisconsin, United States, both named after Thaddeus C. Pound. countable, uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms
british pounddog poundhammerlbpound sterlinglibra

Antonyms

countless grainscwteaseeuro

Example

"An ounce of practice is worth a pound of precept."

Common questions

What does "pound" mean?

A unit of weight in various measurement systems.

What is a synonym for "pound"?

Common synonyms include: british pound, dog pound, hammer, lb, pound sterling, libra.

How do you use "pound" in a sentence?

An ounce of practice is worth a pound of precept.

How do you pronounce "pound"?

Pronounced /paʊnd/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English pound, from Old English pund (“a pound, weight”), from Proto-West Germanic *pund, from Proto-Germanic *pundą (“pound, weight”), an early borrowing from Latin pondō (“by weight”), ablative form of pondus (“weight”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pend- (“to pull, stretch”). Cognate with Dutch pond, German Pfund, Danish pund and Swedish pund. Doublet of funt, pfund, pood, and punt.

Etymology 2

From Middle English pounde, ponde, pund, from Old English *pund (“an enclosure”). Related to Old English pyndan (“to enclose, shut up, dam, impound”). Compare also Old English pynd (“a cistern, lake”).

Etymology 3

From an alteration of earlier poun, pown, from Middle English pounen, from Old English pūnian (“to pound, beat, bray, bruise, crush”), from Proto-West Germanic *pūn- (“broken pieces, rubble”). Related to Saterland Frisian Pün (“debris, fragments”), West Frisian pún (“debris, rubble”), Dutch puin (“debris, fragments, rubbish”), Low German pun (“fragments”).

Etymology 4

* As an English surname, from both senses of the noun pound meaning "measure of weight" and "enclosure." * As a German surname, variant of Pfund, or as a north/Low German surname, from the variants of it, Pund, Pundt, all meaning "pound," thus related to the above.

More for "pound"

Synonyms

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