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

impound a vehicle

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

There, the Windy Gap Reservoir impounds the river in a broad mountain valley near Granby, northwest of the ski town of Winter Park. —Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 15 Dec. 2025

The sedan was impounded, and a search warrant is in progress. —Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 11 Dec. 2025

Of course, the car was impounded, but your salesmanship succeeded. —Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 11 Dec. 2025

Police said one of the cars used in the street takeover has been impounded, a Chrysler 300 sedan. —Elijah Westbrook, CBS News, 5 Dec. 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