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
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Recent Examples of pawns
Chris John Amorosino, Hartford Courant, 16 Apr. 2026
They were used as pawns in completely unrelated political battles.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Apr. 2026
But, in the slammers investigation, nearly all the people being prosecuted were pawns—passengers who’d agreed to ride in cars.
—Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Privatized airports avoided long shutdown waits Privatizing airport security, some in the business argue, makes airport workers and travelers less vulnerable to becoming pawns in congressional fights over policy issues.
—Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2026
His desire to cross pawns again.
—Ashlee Conour, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
Our job is to educate those people about how they’re being pushed around like pawns.
—Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
The wooden board is fabricated from curly maple and the knights, pawns, bishops and queens — all positioned as if a game has begun — are made of ceramics.
—Ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post, 23 Mar. 2026
The play unfolds as a series of battles, where the unaccomplished George and the bitterly disappointed Martha exchange vicious and demeaning insults, using Nick and Honey as the unsuspecting pawns in their war for supremacy.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
Noun
According to The Guardian, three military family advocacy organizations reported that the Marines felt like political pawns.
—Chris John Amorosino, Hartford Courant, 16 Apr. 2026
They were used as pawns in completely unrelated political battles.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Apr. 2026
But, in the slammers investigation, nearly all the people being prosecuted were pawns—passengers who’d agreed to ride in cars.
—Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Privatized airports avoided long shutdown waits Privatizing airport security, some in the business argue, makes airport workers and travelers less vulnerable to becoming pawns in congressional fights over policy issues.
—Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2026
His desire to cross pawns again.
—Ashlee Conour, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
Our job is to educate those people about how they’re being pushed around like pawns.
—Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
The wooden board is fabricated from curly maple and the knights, pawns, bishops and queens — all positioned as if a game has begun — are made of ceramics.
—Ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post, 23 Mar. 2026
The play unfolds as a series of battles, where the unaccomplished George and the bitterly disappointed Martha exchange vicious and demeaning insults, using Nick and Honey as the unsuspecting pawns in their war for supremacy.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pawns
Verb
-
Those are the players in recent memory who’ve commanded the kind of draft capital that reshapes franchises — the sort of seismic move that mortgages a future and, in return, attaches expectations normally reserved for franchise-carrying superstars.—
Kristian Winfield,
Hartford Courant,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In less than 10 minutes, a wooden bridge deposits us on the doorstep of a cinematic landscape that unfurls into a seemingly endless patchwork of rolling hills and glens in hues of umber, cinnamon, and ochre, flanked by mountains standing sentinel on either side.—
Jen Murphy,
Robb Report,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Commuter trains run from Washington’s Union Station to Baltimore’s Camden Station, which deposits fans right outside Oriole Park at Camden Yards.—
Fritz Hahn,
Washington Post,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pawns.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pawns. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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