as in confining
to deprive of the ability or liberty to leave
impound stray animals
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Recent Examples of impounding
City authorities had started destroying the makeshift homes of people living on the streets and impounding their possessions.
—
Saumya Roy, The Dial, 6 Jan. 2026
Most of the north state’s major reservoirs are running well above average for this time of year, with Shasta Lake, the primary federal supply, impounding 72% of capacity — 123% of its historical average — as of Tuesday.
—Chaewon Chung, Sacbee.com, 30 Dec. 2025
The administration has dabbled in impounding funds appropriated by Congress, despite a law barring this.
—David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 29 Dec. 2025
Saumya Roy, The Dial, 6 Jan. 2026
Most of the north state’s major reservoirs are running well above average for this time of year, with Shasta Lake, the primary federal supply, impounding 72% of capacity — 123% of its historical average — as of Tuesday.
—Chaewon Chung, Sacbee.com, 30 Dec. 2025
The administration has dabbled in impounding funds appropriated by Congress, despite a law barring this.
—David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 29 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impounding
Verb
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Arpaio became well known for his harsh treatment of immigrants and jail inmates, confining them in tents without air conditioning in Arizona’s torrid climate.—
Kevin G. Hall,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
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Miškinis and writer Eglė Vertelytė (who adapts Rimantas Kmita’s semi-autobiographical novel) masterfully dodge genre tropes, avoiding confining their characters to simplistic labels and keeping the focus of their arcs self-motivated.—
Courtney Howard,
Variety,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Bure is keeping her faith — and her Christmas crown — shining bright.—
Stephanie Giang-Paunon,
FOXNews.com,
9 Nov. 2025
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Martin legitimately pinned the Saints’ offense on almost every drive in the first half, keeping the game close, even with New Orleans leading at halftime.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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This method prevents clutter by limiting how much can be stacked, keeping everything tidy and accessible.—
Patricia Shannon,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Nov. 2025
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Health care experts and politicians on both sides of the aisle agree that medical schools must find ways to lower their costs, but critics of the loan caps say limiting federal lending isn’t the answer.—
Tribune News Service,
Oc Register,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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But efforts to mitigate human harms—restricting harvests, remodeling dams, breeding salmon in hatcheries—are yielding diminishing returns.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2026
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The onerous covenants include, among others, restricting WBD’s ability to modify, renew or terminate affiliation agreements.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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There’s a whole history, actually, of how the Pentagon responded to the epidemic within its ranks, first by imprisoning infected men.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
17 Oct. 2025
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The United States began seizing church property and imprisoning polygamist leaders, coercing church president Wilford Woodruff to end official support for polygamy in 1890.—
Konden Smith Hansen,
The Conversation,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Thanks to his commitment to help others, Tapia has served as a mentor in Cal State DC Scholars, a program in which students earn academic credit while interning in the nation’s capital.—
Larry D. Urish,
Oc Register,
5 Dec. 2025
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According to one professional biography, Halligan developed an interest in law while interning at the Denver City Attorney's Office in college.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
25 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Video shows one agent restraining the man, then dragging him around as another agent helps pin him to the ground.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
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Taiwan, too, should keep enhancing its civil and military defenses while restraining its assertions of sovereignty in cross-strait affairs.—
STEPHEN WERTHEIM,
Foreign Affairs,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But a federal lawsuit argues authorities are regularly jailing and deporting immigrants who are survivors of human trafficking, domestic abuse and other crimes.—
Julia Marnin,
Sacbee.com,
20 Oct. 2025
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The state can fairly easily police the requirement that Max be installed on new phones by threatening phone companies that don’t comply or even jailing their executives.—
Justin Sherman,
The Atlantic,
11 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Impounding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impounding. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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