impound

verb

im·​pound im-ˈpau̇nd 

impounded; impounding; impounds

transitive verb

1

a

: to shut up in or as if in a pound : confine

b

: to seize and hold in the custody of the law

c

: to take possession of

she was dismissed and her manuscript impounded

—Jonathan Weiner

2

: to collect and confine (water) in or as if in a reservoir

Examples of impound in a Sentence

The police impounded her car because it was illegally parked.

impound evidence for a trial

Recent Examples on the Web

According to the probable cause statement, those dogs were caught and impounded. —Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 18 Apr. 2025

The government’s coffers must then be impounded and redirected, according to the blogger. —Ed Simon, TIME, 24 Mar. 2025

Among the changes the city also sought was to delineate when police can impound goods, equipment, and merchandise, including preventing vendors from leaving those items unattended. —Devan Patel, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2025

Separately, lawmakers are weighing Trump’s interest in impounding funding already approved by Congress. —Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 24 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for impound

• abound
• aground
• around
• astound
• background
• campground
• clothbound
• confound
• earthbound
• eastbound
• expound
• fairground

Kids Definition

impound

verb

im·​pound im-ˈpau̇nd 

1

: to shut up in or as if in an enclosed place

2

: to seize and hold in the hands of the law

impound evidence for a trial

impoundment

-ˈpau̇n(d)-mənt

noun

Legal Definition

impound

transitive verb

im·​pound im-ˈpau̇nd 

: to take control of in the custody of the law or by legal authority

impound a vehicle

the police impounded the dwelling until the search warrant was obtained

impoundment noun