1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

pawn 1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈpȯn How to pronounce pawn (audio)
Definition of pawnnext
as in tool
one that is or can be used to further the purposes of another though he liked to play up his influence with city hall, he was really just another pawn of the political bosses

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

pawn

2 of 3

noun (2)

as in pledge
something given or held to assure that the giver will keep a promise offered her license as a pawn that she would bring back the rental canoe

Synonyms & Similar Words

pawn

3 of 3

verb

as in to deposit
to leave as a guarantee of repayment of a loan he pawned his antique watch in order to pay off his gambling debt

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pawn
Noun
Melton was a Mountain West All-Academic pick who today is an avid chess player, moving pawns on his phone or going toe-to-toe with Justin Verlander in the middle of the clubhouse. — Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026 With no end to the war in sight, inflation on the rise, fuel rationing and continued threats of strikes, the vast majority of the Iranian population appear not to be players, but pawns. — Will Barker, TheWeek, 14 Aug. 2026
Verb
There were 46 items in the safe, some of which Kisakye allegedly pawned and sold to feed a substantial gambling habit. — Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 3 June 2026 If a helmet is too outdated for your family to use, don't pawn it off on someone else. — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 26 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pawn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pawn
  1. tool
  2. pledge
  3. deposit
  4. minion
  5. guarantee
  6. hock
  7. victim
  8. security
Noun
  • Brennan said 75 percent of bids in Christie’s luxury auctions now arrive through its online tools.
    — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Researchers found that the Windows branch could use PowerShell and other tools to eventually load malware directly into memory.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of tool
Noun
  • The discussions have also included output — including Ellison’s longstanding pledge to produce at least 30 films a year, according to two sources familiar with the talks.
    — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Bonta has said that Ellison’s pledge for the two studios to release 30 films a year wasn’t enough to end the legal wrangling because prosecutors often are powerless to enforce conditions after a deal closes.
    — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of pledge
Verb
  • Anode-free designs remove this material and instead deposit lithium directly onto a thin copper current collector.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Federal officials said Wright deposited the checks — which totaled more than $520,000 — into his brokerage account and received more than $440,000 for the first four checks.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of deposit
Noun
  • Musashi becomes part of a crew that fights the Genma and Yoshitsune’s minions.
    — Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Just as Wolverine is surrounded, he’s saved by Mystique, who’s shape-shifted herself into one of Trask’s minions.
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of minion
Noun
  • The two sides spent the weekend in tense discussions over Paramount’s commitments to remain in California and over guarantees for its production levels.
    — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Federal laws such as Title IX guarantee support services as part of the intent of the law is to make sure all students have equal access to their education.
    — Susan Daria Landino, Hartford Courant, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of guarantee
Verb
  • So too are editor Pauline Gaillard’s sharp cuts, which are often timed exactly to coincide with the moment that someone lost in faraway thought finishes swirling their mouthful of Pinot Noir and hocks it unceremoniously into a nearby receptacle.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The page gave a deep snort, hocking a chartreuse wad against the root of the nightingale’s birch.
    — Hazlitt, Hazlitt, 19 Nov. 2025
Definition of hock
Noun
  • The studies with these conclusions have not held up over time and may be victims of publication bias.
    — Devika Rao, TheWeek, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Ventura was not truly a victim and deserved to face consequences alongside Combs.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of victim
Noun
  • If your browser or security software warns that a site copied something unexpectedly, take that warning seriously.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2026
  • As world leaders gather in New York and Washington signals potential diplomatic contacts with Tehran, a senior Iranian security official warned neighboring countries against complying with new US restrictions targeting Iranian airlines.
    — Adrienne Vogt, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of security

Browse Nearby Words

pawky
pawn
pawned
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pawn. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of fungible

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All