pounced; pouncing
1
a
: to swoop upon and seize something with or as if with talons
b
: to seize upon and make capital of something (such as another's blunder or an opportunity)
2
: to make a sudden assault or approach
pounced; pouncing
: to dust, rub, finish, or stencil with pounce
1
: a fine powder formerly used to prevent ink from spreading
2
: a fine powder for making stenciled patterns
Synonyms
Examples of pounce in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 21 Apr. 2024
National Democrats, meanwhile, are quick to pounce when Trump goes off the rails at his rallies.
—The Courier-Journal, 17 Apr. 2024
The Braves then pounced on the Marlins’ bullpen, scoring five runs in the seventh inning against George Soriano and Andrew Nardi to put the game out of reach.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2024
Flores pounced on a rebound inside the box, smashing a side-volley with his right foot into the back of the net.
—Nathan Dunn, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2024
When news began percolating Friday that Biden was hinting at more student debt relief this week, critics were quick to pounce.
—Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
That surprised Kuntz, who pounced, signing the goalkeeper three weeks later.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
And when the Kazakh faltered and conceded three set points at 6-5, Collins pounced to take the first set.
—Issy Ronald, CNN, 31 Mar. 2024
When its larger peer Carta faced customer blowback in January for sharing sensitive information about startups with secondary market investors, Pulley pounced.
—Jeff Kauflin, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024
The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2024
Our tester cats went wild for this laser toy from Amazon, and watching our kitty pounce around the room chasing the red dot was almost too cute for words.
—Cai Cramer, Peoplemag, 16 Feb. 2024
Primed like Pavlov’s dog to salivate or rage at the mere mention of Yale, our society pounces at any opportunity to peel back the curtain on Yalie lifestyles.
—Li Goldstein, Bon Appétit, 20 Oct. 2023
After all, a line of tech bros, arms akimbo and waiting to pounce can be intimidating at worst and off-putting at best.
—Al Kingsley, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
When an opportunity to open a flower shop in Harlem arises, Ricki pounces on the chance.
—Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 8 Feb. 2024
Anyone can see that cats that are well fed still pounce on small moving objects, and that cats can lead healthy and seemingly contented lives indoors.
—Jonathan Franzen, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2023
Rather than running after their meals, however, leopards sneak towards prey and pounce, ambushing them from the treetops or other hideouts.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 26 Sep. 2023
The natural catnip inside will entice your cat to play and pounce.
—Kristi Arnold, Rolling Stone, 5 Dec. 2023
Verb
And when Mitch White became available, the Giants pounced to add the 29-year-old righty at the cost of Cobb’s efforts to race back.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 21 Apr. 2024
National Democrats, meanwhile, are quick to pounce when Trump goes off the rails at his rallies.
—The Courier-Journal, 17 Apr. 2024
The Braves then pounced on the Marlins’ bullpen, scoring five runs in the seventh inning against George Soriano and Andrew Nardi to put the game out of reach.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2024
Flores pounced on a rebound inside the box, smashing a side-volley with his right foot into the back of the net.
—Nathan Dunn, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2024
When news began percolating Friday that Biden was hinting at more student debt relief this week, critics were quick to pounce.
—Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
That surprised Kuntz, who pounced, signing the goalkeeper three weeks later.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
And when the Kazakh faltered and conceded three set points at 6-5, Collins pounced to take the first set.
—Issy Ronald, CNN, 31 Mar. 2024
When its larger peer Carta faced customer blowback in January for sharing sensitive information about startups with secondary market investors, Pulley pounced.
—Jeff Kauflin, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024
Noun
The dresser, Jenny Holzer, has spent her career composing koan-like phrases and turning them into signs that lurk in museums and public places, waiting to pounce.
—The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2024
Our tester cats went wild for this laser toy from Amazon, and watching our kitty pounce around the room chasing the red dot was almost too cute for words.
—Cai Cramer, Peoplemag, 16 Feb. 2024
Primed like Pavlov’s dog to salivate or rage at the mere mention of Yale, our society pounces at any opportunity to peel back the curtain on Yalie lifestyles.
—Li Goldstein, Bon Appétit, 20 Oct. 2023
After all, a line of tech bros, arms akimbo and waiting to pounce can be intimidating at worst and off-putting at best.
—Al Kingsley, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
When an opportunity to open a flower shop in Harlem arises, Ricki pounces on the chance.
—Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 8 Feb. 2024
Anyone can see that cats that are well fed still pounce on small moving objects, and that cats can lead healthy and seemingly contented lives indoors.
—Jonathan Franzen, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2023
Rather than running after their meals, however, leopards sneak towards prey and pounce, ambushing them from the treetops or other hideouts.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 26 Sep. 2023
The natural catnip inside will entice your cat to play and pounce.
—Kristi Arnold, Rolling Stone, 5 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pounce.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pounce
Cite this Entry
“Pounce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pounce. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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