pounced; pouncing
1
a
: to swoop upon and seize something with or as if with talons
b
: to seize upon and make capital of something (such as another's blunder or an opportunity)
2
: to make a sudden assault or approach
pounced; pouncing
: to dust, rub, finish, or stencil with pounce
1
: a fine powder formerly used to prevent ink from spreading
2
: a fine powder for making stenciled patterns
Synonyms
Examples of pounce in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2024
Benedict said the girls pounced and were beating them up when Benedict blacked out.
—USA TODAY, 2 Mar. 2024
Mysterio walked out with crutches, but just as Legado del Fantasma tried to pounce, Mysterio wiped them out with his crutch before having a showdown with Santos Escobar.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
Firms including Boaz Weinstein’s Saba Capital Management have pounced on historical dislocations in these funds’ pricing and have urged asset managers to take steps like buying back shares or liquidating assets to boost valuations.
—Yiqin Shen, Fortune, 23 Feb. 2024
Analysts said investors are ready to pounce on signs of a recovery in the housing market, with interest and mortgage rates expected to come down later this year.
—Elaine Kurtenbach, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
The government quickly pounced on the financial implications of the bill.
—David McKenzie, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024
But Berkshire is prepared to pounce should a large-scale opportunity arise, with its cash reserves rising to a record $167.6 billion in the fourth quarter.
—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 26 Feb. 2024
What really sets them apart, though, is their jumping and pouncing ability.
—Matthew Every, Field & Stream, 21 Feb. 2024
The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2024
Our tester cats went wild for this laser toy from Amazon, and watching our kitty pounce around the room chasing the red dot was almost too cute for words.
—Cai Cramer, Peoplemag, 16 Feb. 2024
Primed like Pavlov’s dog to salivate or rage at the mere mention of Yale, our society pounces at any opportunity to peel back the curtain on Yalie lifestyles.
—Li Goldstein, Bon Appétit, 20 Oct. 2023
After all, a line of tech bros, arms akimbo and waiting to pounce can be intimidating at worst and off-putting at best.
—Al Kingsley, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
When an opportunity to open a flower shop in Harlem arises, Ricki pounces on the chance.
—Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 8 Feb. 2024
Anyone can see that cats that are well fed still pounce on small moving objects, and that cats can lead healthy and seemingly contented lives indoors.
—Jonathan Franzen, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2023
Rather than running after their meals, however, leopards sneak towards prey and pounce, ambushing them from the treetops or other hideouts.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 26 Sep. 2023
The natural catnip inside will entice your cat to play and pounce.
—Kristi Arnold, Rolling Stone, 5 Dec. 2023
Verb
Moreno has pounced on Dolan as anti-Trump, citing his criticism in 2022 and reticence to embrace Republicans' presumptive presidential nominee this year.
—Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2024
Benedict said the girls pounced and were beating them up when Benedict blacked out.
—USA TODAY, 2 Mar. 2024
Mysterio walked out with crutches, but just as Legado del Fantasma tried to pounce, Mysterio wiped them out with his crutch before having a showdown with Santos Escobar.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
Firms including Boaz Weinstein’s Saba Capital Management have pounced on historical dislocations in these funds’ pricing and have urged asset managers to take steps like buying back shares or liquidating assets to boost valuations.
—Yiqin Shen, Fortune, 23 Feb. 2024
Analysts said investors are ready to pounce on signs of a recovery in the housing market, with interest and mortgage rates expected to come down later this year.
—Elaine Kurtenbach, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
The government quickly pounced on the financial implications of the bill.
—David McKenzie, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024
But Berkshire is prepared to pounce should a large-scale opportunity arise, with its cash reserves rising to a record $167.6 billion in the fourth quarter.
—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 26 Feb. 2024
What really sets them apart, though, is their jumping and pouncing ability.
—Matthew Every, Field & Stream, 21 Feb. 2024
Noun
The dresser, Jenny Holzer, has spent her career composing koan-like phrases and turning them into signs that lurk in museums and public places, waiting to pounce.
—The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2024
Our tester cats went wild for this laser toy from Amazon, and watching our kitty pounce around the room chasing the red dot was almost too cute for words.
—Cai Cramer, Peoplemag, 16 Feb. 2024
Primed like Pavlov’s dog to salivate or rage at the mere mention of Yale, our society pounces at any opportunity to peel back the curtain on Yalie lifestyles.
—Li Goldstein, Bon Appétit, 20 Oct. 2023
After all, a line of tech bros, arms akimbo and waiting to pounce can be intimidating at worst and off-putting at best.
—Al Kingsley, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
When an opportunity to open a flower shop in Harlem arises, Ricki pounces on the chance.
—Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 8 Feb. 2024
Anyone can see that cats that are well fed still pounce on small moving objects, and that cats can lead healthy and seemingly contented lives indoors.
—Jonathan Franzen, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2023
Rather than running after their meals, however, leopards sneak towards prey and pounce, ambushing them from the treetops or other hideouts.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 26 Sep. 2023
The natural catnip inside will entice your cat to play and pounce.
—Kristi Arnold, Rolling Stone, 5 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pounce.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pounce
Cite this Entry
“Pounce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pounce. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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