as in attacked
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 pounced (on or upon)
Verb
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The book's Japanese translator was murdered, and others associated with it were attacked.—
Anderson Cooper,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026 -
Because as Bam Adebayo attacked a second-quarter offensive rebound with seemingly nothing but open air space toward the rim, teammate Kel’el Ware had similar thoughts of contesting that same carom of that Davion Mitchell errant attempt.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The charges stem from an incident in which Diggs allegedly assaulted the unnamed female employee over a paycheck dispute at his Dedham, Massachusetts, residence, according to a criminal complaint obtained by The Enterprise, part of the USA TODAY Network.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
9 Feb. 2026
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Then, in 2012, a process server sued Hadder, claiming he was assaulted and wrongfully arrested while trying to serve a subpoena.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The newspaper printed its last edition in June 2021 after police raided its office and froze its assets.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
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As recently as December, police raided a gay-friendly venue in the nation’s capital, Baku, and detained more than 100 people.—
Ryan Oehrli
Updated February 6,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Technically, fans stormed the court twice.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
8 Feb. 2026
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The United States has not maintained a physical embassy in Tehran since the Iranian revolution in 1979, when militants stormed the building and held Americans hostage for 444 days.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA Today,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That is down from about 180,000 homes and businesses without power in Mississippi shortly after the storm struck late last month.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Feb. 2026
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The driver and the bicyclist, who was struck, declined to be taken to the hospital.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Pounced (on or upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pounced%20%28on%20or%20upon%29. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
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