POUNCE (ON OR UPON) Synonyms: 69 Similar and Opposite Words

pounce (on or upon)

verb

as in to assault

to take sudden, violent action against the muggers pounced on the unsuspecting tourists as soon as they rounded the corner

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pounce (on or upon)

Verb

An attack on two women outside a Lavender Heights nightclub early Monday, days after a member of the city’s LGBTQ community was assaulted, stoked new safety concerns in the midtown Sacramento neighborhood.

— Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 8 Sep. 2026
Spence, who pleaded guilty to assault in aid of racketeering and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, could face between 24 and 27-and-a-half years behind bars.

— John Annese, New York Daily News, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of assault

Verb

Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone leaders say the pastor’s words attack their identity and echo past religious assimilation, spurring weekly demonstrations and new rules requiring outside ministries to seek tribal approval.

— Savannah Peters, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
To beat the odds, founders need to plan for a long-term goal that is relevant and achievable, then attack it in a series of sprints that enable incremental growth.

— Deann Evans, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of attack

Verb

Police raided the home several times but failed to find the painting.

— Sergio Farella, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
In the footage, players follow the story of Jason and Lucia, a couple living in the fictional Vice City, who are picking up drugs, and their mission is thwarted by the police, who begin to raid the place.

— Moises Mendez II, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of raid

Verb

On a cold night in November 2011, in a field outside Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine, a gang of thugs stormed a Soviet scientific research institute, beat and humiliated the staff and burned the place to the ground.

— Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026
The second-chance Hail Mary led to the incomprehensible scene of the Michigan Stadium crowd storming the field to cheer the winningest program in Bowl Subdivision history eking out a victory over a Mid-American Conference school.

— CBS News, CBS News, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of storm

Verb

Those concessions were not enough for Democrats, who sent a counteroffer late Monday to expand the ethics provision but were not able to strike a final deal.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2026
And truly, now, does the idea of a modern Egyptian family having an underground pyramid in the backyard of their Aswan home strike you as any less pathetically misguided?

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of strike

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.

Browse Nearby Words

pounce (on)

pounce (on or upon)

pounces

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Pounce (on or upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pounce%20%28on%20or%20upon%29. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of pounce (on or upon)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

watershed

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

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

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes