as in tools
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 pledges
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 mortgages
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 pawns
Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
As both Beijing’s experience dealing with Pyongyang and, to a lesser extent, Washington’s experience with Taipei demonstrate, these smaller partners are not mere pawns to be traded away.
—Shuxian Luo, Foreign Affairs, 21 Aug. 2025
They’re being used as political pawns.
—Curtis Bunn, NBC news, 12 Aug. 2025
Unfortunately, all these mind games and chess moves mean pawns are caught in the middle.
—Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 9 Aug. 2025
Even so, the foes and all the king’s pawns find ways to change the chess board.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Aug. 2025
Noun
Ultimately, Dalton and her team uncover that General Livingstone orchestrated the hostage and coup to increase military spending, using Captain Shagan and his former unit as pawns.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
As both Beijing’s experience dealing with Pyongyang and, to a lesser extent, Washington’s experience with Taipei demonstrate, these smaller partners are not mere pawns to be traded away.
—Shuxian Luo, Foreign Affairs, 21 Aug. 2025
They’re being used as political pawns.
—Curtis Bunn, NBC news, 12 Aug. 2025
Unfortunately, all these mind games and chess moves mean pawns are caught in the middle.
—Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 9 Aug. 2025
Even so, the foes and all the king’s pawns find ways to change the chess board.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pawns
deposits
Verb
-
The new method deposits ultra-thin tin oxide (SnO₂) ETLs at low temperatures, which prevents damage to the perovskite.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Aug. 2025
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Arguably the most impressive feature of the flagship Roomba s9+ is its self-cleaning reservoir, which deposits its entire contents into the Clean Base automatically.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pawns.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pawns. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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