Definition

1. Noun:

   • A unit of weight: A unit of mass equal to 16 ounces (approximately 0.45 kilograms) in the avoirdupois system, or 12 ounces in the troy system.
   • A unit of currency: The basic monetary unit of the United Kingdom (pound sterling) and several other countries, such as Egypt and Lebanon.
   • A public enclosure for animals: A place where stray dogs or other animals are kept.
   • The act of heavy, repeated hitting: The action of delivering repeated heavy blows.

2. Verb:

   • To hit or strike heavily and repeatedly: To beat, thump, or hammer something with force.
   • To crush into powder or pulp: To pulverize something by beating or grinding.
   • To move with heavy, clumsy steps: To walk or run with loud, heavy steps.
   • To confine in an enclosure: To shut up or impound animals.

Examples

• Noun:

  • She bought a pound of apples. (She bought 16 ounces of apples.)
  • The price is ten pounds. (The price is ten units of British currency.)
  • The lost dog was taken to the pound. (The lost dog was taken to the animal shelter.)
  • We heard the steady pound of the drums. (We heard the steady, heavy beat of the drums.)

• Verb:

  • He used a hammer to pound the nail. (He used a hammer to hit the nail forcefully.)
  • You need to pound the garlic into a paste. (You need to crush the garlic into a paste.)
  • The children pounded down the stairs. (The children ran down the stairs with loud, heavy steps.)
  • The farmer pounded the stray cattle. (The farmer confined the stray cattle in an enclosure.)

Advanced Usage

• "to pound the pavement": To walk the streets, especially while looking for a job.

  • He's been pounding the pavement for weeks, searching for work. (He has been walking the streets for weeks, looking for a job.)

• "to pound away at something": To work persistently or attack something repeatedly.

  • She pounded away at the keyboard all night to finish her report. (She typed persistently on the keyboard all night.)

• "to take a pounding": To be severely damaged, defeated, or criticized.

  • The team took a real pounding in the championship game. (The team was soundly defeated in the championship game.)

Variants and Related Words

• Pounding (n/adj): The act or sound of heavy blows; persistent and forceful.

  • The constant pounding of the construction noise gave me a headache. (The persistent loud noise from construction caused a headache.)

• Pounder (n): A person or thing that pounds; also used in compounds to indicate weight (e.g., a ten-pounder is a fish weighing ten pounds).

  • He is a powerful pounder of meat in the kitchen. (He is someone who crushes meat forcefully.)

• Impound (v): To seize and take legal custody of something (like a vehicle).

  • The police will impound your car if you park here. (The police will legally seize your car.)

Synonyms

• Noun (weight): lb (abbreviation).
• Verb (hit): Hammer, beat, thump, pummel.
• Verb (crush): Pulverize, grind, mash.
• Verb (walk heavily): Stomp, tramp, clomp.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Pound out: To produce something, especially music or writing, by working hard and persistently.

  • The band pounded out a new song in the studio. (The band produced a new song through persistent effort.)

• Pound into: To force an idea into someone's mind through repetition.

  • The teacher pounded the rules into the students' heads. (The teacher made the students memorize the rules through repetition.)

Related Idioms

• "Penny wise and pound foolish": Careful with small amounts of money but wasteful with large sums.

  • He refused to fix the leak, which ruined the floor. He's penny wise and pound foolish. (He saved a small repair cost but caused major damage.)

• "A pound of flesh": A harsh or unreasonable demand, especially for repayment of a debt. (From Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice).

  • The bank demanded its pound of flesh when he couldn't pay the loan. (The bank made a harsh demand for repayment.)

Noun

1. the act of pounding (delivering repeated heavy blows)
   • the sudden hammer of fists caught him off guard
   • the pounding of feet on the hallway
2. a public enclosure for stray or unlicensed dogs
   • unlicensed dogs will be taken to the pound
3. a symbol for a unit of currency (especially for the pound sterling in Great Britain)
4. United States writer who lived in Europe; strongly influenced the development of modern literature (1885-1972)
5. a nontechnical unit of force equal to the mass of 1 pound with an acceleration of free fall equal to 32 feet/sec/sec
6. the basic unit of money in Cyprus; equal to 100 cents
7. the basic unit of money in Egypt; equal to 100 piasters
8. formerly the basic unit of money in Ireland; equal to 100 pence
9. the basic unit of money in Lebanon; equal to 100 piasters
10. the basic unit of money in the Sudan; equal to 100 piasters
11. the basic unit of money in Syria; equal to 100 piasters
12. a unit of apothecary weight equal to 12 ounces troy
13. the basic unit of money in Great Britain and Northern Ireland; equal to 100 pence
14. 16 ounces avoirdupois
    • he got a hernia when he tried to lift 100 pounds

Verb

1. break down and crush by beating, as with a pestle
   • pound the roots with a heavy flat stone
2. place or shut up in a pound
   • pound the cows so they don't stray
3. shut up or confine in any enclosure or within any bounds or limits
   • The prisoners are safely pounded
4. partition off into compartments
   • The locks pound the water of the canal
5. move rhythmically
   • Her heart was beating fast
6. move heavily or clumsily
   • The heavy man lumbered across the room
7. strike or drive against with a heavy impact
   • ram the gate with a sledgehammer
   • pound on the door
8. hit hard with the hand, fist, or some heavy instrument
   • the salesman pounded the door knocker
   • a bible-thumping Southern Baptist