pawnbroker

noun

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pawn·bro·ker | \ ˈpȯn-ˌbrō-kər

, ˈpän- \

Definition of pawnbroker

: one who lends money in exchange for personal property that can be sold if the loan is not repaid by a certain time

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Examples of pawnbroker in a Sentence

He was desperate for money so he hocked his watch to a pawnbroker.

Recent Examples on the Web In killing the old miserly pawnbroker for money, Raskolnikov seeks to purchase his freedom from an existence of degradation. — Los Angeles Times, "Commentary: Times are bad, so keep your uplift. Give me ‘Crime and Punishment’ and ‘The Godfather’," 14 Jan. 2021 Financial and insurance institutions: Bank, currency exchanges, consumer lenders, credit unions, title companies, financial markets, payday lenders and pawnbrokers. — John Fay, Cincinnati.com, "Here is the list of 'essential businesses' under Ohio's stay-at-home order," 22 Mar. 2020 Before handing out candy canes, St. Nick listed groups of those who claim him as their patron saint — including children, sailors and pawnbrokers. — Bulletin Board, Twin Cities, "Sunday Bulletin Board: How is the beginning of a pregnancy like the end of a hockey game?," 15 Dec. 2019 The best deep supporting character on TV right now is Burt (Joe Grifasi), a pawnbroker who seems to carry the whole moral calculus of Long Beach history in his cash-counting brain. — Darren Franich, EW.com, "Save Lodge 49, save the world," 30 Oct. 2019 William Hill and its rivals, along with charity shops and pawnbrokers, were among the businesses that took up the slack. — Washington Post, "William Hill Leaves Britain’s High Streets Empty: Andrea Felsted," 18 Sep. 2019 The pawnbroker and three postal employees identified Newby by photo. — William Lee, chicagotribune.com, "Woman accused of stealing identity of ‘Empire’ star Taraji P. Henson," 28 July 2019 Typical annualised percentage interest rates are in the region of 20-40%, cheaper than the traditional local moneylender or pawnbroker but hardly a snip. — The Economist, "Pocket bankingMobile financial services are cornering the market," 3 May 2018 And, in some circles, waistcoats were associated with the likes of pawnbrokers or card sharks. — Andrew Beaton, WSJ, "England’s Hottest Fashion Item: Gareth Southgate’s Waistcoat," 9 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pawnbroker.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

20 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Pawnbroker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pawnbroker. Accessed 8 Mar. 2021.

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More Definitions for pawnbroker

pawnbroker

noun

English Language Learners Definition of pawnbroker

: a person who lends money to people in exchange for personal property that can be sold if the money is not returned within a certain time

See the full definition for pawnbroker in the English Language Learners Dictionary

pawnbroker

noun

pawn·bro·ker | \ ˈpȯn-ˌbrō-kər

Kids Definition of pawnbroker

: a person who lends money in exchange for personal property that can be sold if the money is not repaid

pawnbroker

noun

pawn·bro·ker | \ ˈpȯn-ˌbrō-kər

Legal Definition of pawnbroker

: a person who lends money on the security of personal or movable property pledged in his or her keeping or who buys personal property and gives the seller an opportunity to buy back the property