pounce

1 of 5

noun (1)

: the claw of a bird of prey

pounce

2 of 5

verb (1)

pounced; pouncing

intransitive verb

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

pounce

3 of 5

noun (2)

: the act of pouncing

pounce

4 of 5

verb (2)

pounced; pouncing

transitive verb

: to dust, rub, finish, or stencil with pounce

pounce

5 of 5

noun (3)

1
: a fine powder formerly used to prevent ink from spreading
2
: a fine powder for making stenciled patterns

Examples of pounce in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Unwittingly, Forti was walking into the lion's den and police were ready to pounce. Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2024 And Kimmel pounced on a social media post by former President Trump ridiculing the host’s performance. Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024 The English cocker spaniel obliged, earning a treat from the sportsman before pouncing up for more. Becca Longmire, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024 Meanwhile, Bragg pounced on her comments, depicting them as trivializing the process. Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 22 Feb. 2024 With Pulley, her fourth start-up, Yin Wu is pouncing on the niche market for cap table management software, now dominated by scandal-scarred Carta. Hank Tucker, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024 Critics pounced on him for gambling on the lives of people who make crossings of the English Channel in small boats. Stephen Castle, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2024 In a rematch of their U.S. Open final in September, the two reigning hardcourt Grand Slam champions made contrasting starts as Belarusian Sabalenka fired an ace and revved up her forehand to hold before pouncing on two double faults by Gauff to break. Reuters, NBC News, 25 Jan. 2024 About two weeks before the Feb. 10 attack, a mountain lion pounced on a dog in its backyard in nearby Dillon the night of Jan. 27 and dragged the dog away from its home, McClatchy News previously reported. Brooke Baitinger, Idaho Statesman, 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.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, punching tool, dagger, talon — more at punch

Verb (2)

Middle French poncer, from ponce

Noun (3)

French ponce pumice, from Middle French, from Late Latin pomic-, pomex, alteration of Latin pumic-, pumex — more at foam

First Known Use

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (1)

1648, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

1841, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1535, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1705, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pounce was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near pounce

Cite this Entry

“Pounce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pounce. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pounce

verb
ˈpau̇n(t)s
pounced; pouncing
1
: to swoop down on and seize something
a cat waiting to pounce
2
: to make a sudden assault or approach
a clerk pounced on me immediately
pounce noun

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