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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pounce (on or upon)
Verb
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In June 2024, her son was arrested on a warrant for assaulting the staff and brought to jail.—
ProPublica,
ProPublica,
22 Sep. 2025 -
Among them were the assault of a 27-year CTA veteran who was punched and thrown onto the tracks, an elderly woman shoved off an MBTA bus, and a case in which a man used his belt to assault passengers, as noted in the Department of Transportation's news release.—
Sophia Compton,
FOXNews.com,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Her ex and his friends attacked him with a baseball bat and tried to shove him in a washing machine at one of his dad’s laundromats.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
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As the first crews began attacking the fire from inside the building, other crews were called in to make sure no one was inside.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In La Cañada Flintridge, California, Chris Yee caught a bold brown bear raiding the family’s garage fridge and swiping a slice of watermelon.—
Ronnie Li,
USA Today,
22 Sep. 2025
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Desrochers, and other former MPRM leadership, including Defendant Caitlin McGee Swartz, conspired to raid MPRM’s employees and clients while they were still employed by MPRM.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Kyle storms off and vows to find whoever is responsible.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
25 Sep. 2025
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And just when fans thought he was done, McIlroy stormed back to win the Irish Open, proving his form.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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One person was charged for shining a laser in the eyes of ICE agents, another for throwing a smoke grenade at ICE officers and a third for attempting to damage equipment at the facility and then striking and kicking officers while being arrested.—
Sarah D. Wire,
USA Today,
27 Sep. 2025
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This, too, struck Baker as strange.—
Mitch Moxley,
Rolling Stone,
27 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Pounce (on or upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pounce%20%28on%20or%20upon%29. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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