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
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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
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples of pawn in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Kayti Burt, TIME, 27 Sep. 2024
Who knew that jazz legends like Louis Armstrong was an unknowing pawn in the CIA’s plot to assassinate Congo prime minister Patrice Lumumba?
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2024
Whelan, his family and the U.S. government consistently denied the espionage allegations against him and said he was being used as a political pawn.
—Arden Farhi, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2024
Maid of Honor Bails on Wedding After Bride Doesn't Congratulate Her on New Job
The oncology case manager had desperately called pawn shops and filed a police report, which led to Spencer taking on the case.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 13 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pawn 
Noun
Much has changed on the Korean peninsula since pawn shop gentleman Jang Tae-sang and stoic sleuth Yoon Chae-ok were separated, seemingly by Chae-ok’s death, in 1945.
—Kayti Burt, TIME, 27 Sep. 2024
Who knew that jazz legends like Louis Armstrong was an unknowing pawn in the CIA’s plot to assassinate Congo prime minister Patrice Lumumba?
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2024
Whelan, his family and the U.S. government consistently denied the espionage allegations against him and said he was being used as a political pawn.
—Arden Farhi, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2024
Maid of Honor Bails on Wedding After Bride Doesn't Congratulate Her on New Job
The oncology case manager had desperately called pawn shops and filed a police report, which led to Spencer taking on the case.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 13 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pawn
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pawn.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Pawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pawn. Accessed 21 Oct. 2024.
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