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
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of pawn
Kevin Fixler
may 3, Idaho Statesman, 3 May 2026
They were outcoached, David Adelman playing the role of a pawn in Chris Finch’s weeklong chess game.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 1 May 2026
Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026
In fact, jewelry remains the most frequently sold and pawned categories, according to a Canaccord survey of several EZCorp and FirstCash locations.
—Itzel Franco, CNBC, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pawn
Noun
Making the lives of Idahoans affordable, fixing healthcare, helping farmers produce affordable food and still make a living, saving our public lands and national forest for future generations, and making sure vets, servicemen and women and seniors are not used as pawns in political games.
—Kevin Fixler
may 3, Idaho Statesman, 3 May 2026
They were outcoached, David Adelman playing the role of a pawn in Chris Finch’s weeklong chess game.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 1 May 2026
Verb
Others pawned jewelry to help pay their bills.
—Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026
In fact, jewelry remains the most frequently sold and pawned categories, according to a Canaccord survey of several EZCorp and FirstCash locations.
—Itzel Franco, CNBC, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pawn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pawn
Noun
-
Maybe a computer was a new tool for understanding poetry.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
So Amrik taught Rai to cherish his tools and treat them with the utmost care.—
Gabby Herzig,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
The pledge outlined steps the festival would take to move toward greater inclusion of women in its lineup, including generating gendered statistics for its annual program, while working toward achieving gender equity in its governing bodies and programming committees.—
Mia Galuppo,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 2026
-
Pressure for Starmer to step aside has intensified since Labour suffered disastrous losses in local and regional elections last week, underscoring voter frustration with a government that has failed to deliver on pledges to boost economic growth and improve living standards for working people.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
After being deposited in orbit by a launch vehicle, Winnebago uses its own propulsion to maneuver into the right attitude.—
Ramin Skibba,
Scientific American,
15 May 2026
-
Every fiat dollar, euro or Swiss franc deposited into a Swiss IBAN issued by UR is mirrored one-to-one as an on-chain tokenized deposit.—
Boaz Sobrado,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Your president and his minions spread war, chaos, lies and economic instability.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Scott Quigley, a loyal minion of yet another septuagenarian Democrat hack DA, Marian Ryan of Middlesex County.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
If it is treated as a disciplined effort to combine security guarantees, infrastructure renewal, governance reform, and private capital, then Ukraine’s farms, mills, mines, and energy system could become more than symbols of resilience.—
Ariel Cohen,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
-
These are associations across multiple studies, not clinical guarantees, but the directional signal is consistent.—
Allison Palmer,
Miami Herald,
20 May 2026
Verb
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One borrower who manages a large hedge fund hocked his wife’s eight-carat diamond ring—worth upwards of $600,000—after receiving a large margin call (the loan was eventually repaid and the ring was returned.—
Sergei Klebnikov,
Forbes.com,
19 Apr. 2026
-
The page gave a deep snort, hocking a chartreuse wad against the root of the nightingale’s birch.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
19 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Employing a cast of non-professional locals, the film playfully interrogates the brutal but bungled occupation while also allowing its actors — many of whom are descendants of the fascists’ victims — to reinterpret and reclaim a chapter in their city’s past.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
15 May 2026
-
Not the only victim The Miami-Dade case is not the only time Readon has been accused by investigators of defrauding homeowners.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
None have actively traded individual securities while in office.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
16 May 2026
-
The agency will also work with law enforcement to increase security around the dam.—
Robert McGreevy,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pawn. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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