pound 1 of 3

noun (1)

Definition of poundnext
as in blow
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument give the nail a final pound with the hammer

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

pound

2 of 3

noun (2)

as in cage
an enclosure with an open framework for keeping animals stray dogs wearing tags are kept in that pound until their owners can be notified

Synonyms & Similar Words

pound

3 of 3

verb

1
as in to shuffle
to move heavily or clumsily pounding down the road as fast as he could run

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to hit
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner pounding nails into boards all day long

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly during the storm the waves furiously pounded the beach

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in to draw
to shape with a hammer pounding out a depression in the metal

Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in to grind
to reduce to fine particles the tablet may be pounded and mixed in with the animal's food

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of pound
Noun
The plane had more than 32,000 pounds of cargo, mostly contact lenses, the NTSB reported. — Aaron Cooper, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026 The cargo plane, Amazon Air Flight 7598 arriving from Puerto Rico, was carrying about 32,000 pounds of mostly contact lenses, Homendy said. — Darren Reynolds, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2026
Verb
The hurricane brought heavy downpours, high surf and hurricane-force wind gusts that pounded both islands, knocking out power and flooding roads. — Nicholas Grondin, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2026 Of course, these game one losses aren't just happening against title contenders either, as the Tigers famously waltzed into Wallace Wade Stadium to take on an unranked Duke squad in 2023, only to get pounded into submission in a 28-7 loss. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pound
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pound
  1. blow
  2. cage
  3. shuffle
  4. hit
  5. lick
  6. draw
  7. grind
  8. thump
Noun
  • There have been plenty of in-game rotations, promising combinations, fluidity and creativity, but without the delivery of a final hammer blow.
    — Cerys Jones, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The residents had sustained another blow when my friend, John Ahern, was a passenger on Pan Am Flight 103 that exploded on December 21, 1988 from a terrorist bomb over Lockerbie, Scotland.
    — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of blow
Noun
  • Ohtani was held out for the third consecutive game, but Dave Roberts said the two-way star didn’t report pain after hitting in the cages during the game.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
  • So, experts designed a special crate suspended in a metal cage to keep the object steady and cool in the back of a truck.
    — Mark Rice-Oxley, Christian Science Monitor, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of cage
Verb
  • The filmmaker has likened his perspective in this project to that of Dorothy’s dog Toto in The Wizard of Oz, alert to the shuffling feet beneath the curtain rather than being bamboozled by the shyster title character’s techno showmanship.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Not much else changed in Class 5A, besides Azle and Arlington Seguin shuffling down two spots with Week 2 losses.
    — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of shuffle
Verb
  • If the Sabres can find some more success with the man advantage, Thompson shouldn’t have much trouble hitting the 40-goal mark again.
    — Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Japan's 10-year government bond yield recently breached 3%, hitting a high not seen in roughly 30 years.
    — , CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of hit
Verb
  • There was the physician who analyzed the growth rate of his fingernails for 35 years and the geologist who looked into why his colleagues lick rocks.
    — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 4 Sep. 2026
  • An ancient Nazi scientist (Dan Stevens) crawling across a carpet to lick a woman’s stilettoed foot.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of lick
Verb
  • In his analysis of the goalless draw at Hull City, where Villa registered one shot on target — one more than in the previous two matches — Emery observed his side lacked runners to stretch in behind.
    — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • As Japan's foreign exchange reserves continue to shrink, another shift is drawing attention across global bond markets.
    — , CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of draw
Verb
  • The third round was old-style Gauff, scratchy and inconsistent and grinding her way to victory with her legs, over Cristina Buçsa.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • What is so distressing about the lawsuit that is grinding through the federal courthouse in lower Manhattan is that there seems to be no end in sight.
    — Mike Kelly, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of grind
Noun
  • If those ground tests show the jet’s acoustic thump is soft enough for suburban skies, NASA plans to fly the X-59 over several US communities to gather public feedback.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Their pitching is good, Griffin Jax could return soon, and Liam Hicks has added some thump to a lineup previously built around three really good hitters (Junior Caminero, Yandy Díaz, Jonathan Aranda) and a bunch of do-your-job role players.
    — Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of thump

Phrases Containing pound

Browse Nearby Words

pouncing (on or upon)
pound
poundage
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pound.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pound. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on pound

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about pound

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of hobnob

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

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

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

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

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All