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

The city would add the authority to impound equipment owned by people caught vending without proper licenses and permits and hold on to the gear for up to 30 days. —Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 31 Jan. 2026

Vehicles would be impounded and owners would have to pay a $50,000 fee. —Ari Fife, The Frontier, 31 Jan. 2026

Police were seen impounding a car and a tow truck at the gas station late Wednesday morning. —Adam Harrington, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026

Once confined to hospitality, requests for gratuities now appear in unexpected places—airlines, medical offices, auto repair shops, logistics providers, even butcher counters and impound lots. —Mark Bender, Harvard Business Review, 27 Jan. 2026

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