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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pounced (on or upon)
Verb
-
One study in 2020 surveyed 261 herders in Mongolia, another common habitat for snow leopards; while many reported having seen snow leopards, or had their livestock attacked by snow leopards, none reported any attacks on humans.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
27 Jan. 2026 -
The upstream piranhas attacked her, and her blood flowing downstream attracted the rest of the piranhas, leaving the creek clear for the herd to cross.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
By the time the melee had subsided, responding police officers determined that three men had been shot and a woman had been assaulted.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Earlier in the festival, Florida Congressman Maxwell Frost was the victim of a racially motivated assaulted at a CAA party.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Prosecutors said that in December 2024, Mexican authorities raided multiple fentanyl production labs across Sinaloa that were allegedly controlled by the father and son and made the world’s largest ever fentanyl seizure, which totaled more than 3,300 pounds of the ultra-potent drug.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Getting their roster raided by Power 4 conference programs, including the one where their former coach is now running the show.—
The Athletic College Football Staff,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Stars have now lost six straight games (0-3-3) after getting battered Tuesday night by those same Hurricanes that Colorado stormed back against three days prior.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
7 Jan. 2026
-
After Washington led by as many as 26 points late in the third quarter, the Magic stormed back and used a 42-18 run to cut their deficit to just two points with five minutes left in the game.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
One amendment offered by Council Member José Velásquez struck language from the policy that would have limited council members’ ability to hang onto unused budget dollars from one year to the next.—
Alex Driggars,
Austin American Statesman,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Another video shows a man and woman inside their vehicle watching the scene unfold, capturing the moment the officer is struck in the head.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Jan. 2026
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.
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 29 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
