pound
pound Lexical Profile
pound Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A unit of weight in the avoirdupois system equal to 16 ounces or approximately 0.4536 kilograms.
"She bought two pounds of fresh apples at the farmers' market."
The basic monetary unit of the United Kingdom and several other countries, equal to 100 pence.
"The antique book cost fifty pounds at the London bookshop."
A public enclosure or shelter where stray animals or illegally parked vehicles are officially kept until claimed.
"They adopted their rescue dog from the local municipal pound."
An act or sound of striking heavily and repeatedly.
"He woke up to the sudden pound of a hammer on the wall next door."
• verb
To strike or hit heavily and repeatedly.
"Waves continued to pound the rocky coastline throughout the storm."
To beat or throb with a strong, heavy, regular rhythm (especially of the heart or head).
"Her heart began to pound as she stepped onto the stage to deliver her keynote speech."
To crush or grind a substance into a powder, paste, or pulp by beating it repeatedly.
"Use a mortar and pestle to pound the garlic and herbs into a smooth paste."
To walk or run with heavy, noisy steps.
"The marathon runners continued to pound along the city pavement toward the finish line."
• Rhymes for pound
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
The word represents a convergence of three distinct Old English roots: 'pund' (borrowed from Latin 'pondo', meaning 'by weight') for the unit of weight and currency, 'pund' ('enclosure') for the animal shelter, and 'punian' ('to crush or pulverize') for the verb meaning to strike repeatedly.