pound
Pluralpounds
Pluralpounds
Formspounds, pounding, pounded
- 1A unit of mass equal to 16 avoirdupois ounces (about 453.6 grams), the usual pound used for weighing today; also, a metal weight of this amount used on a balance.
She bought a pound of ground coffee at the market.
Each sealed box weighs exactly two pounds.
UsageSay a pound of flour, two pounds of coffee. Written lb: 5 lb.
Note
Its metric value is fixed by law at exactly 453.59237 grams, and the everyday figure of about 454 is only a rounding. When a label, recipe or medical chart says pound without qualification, this is the one meant. The troy pound always has to be named.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- The avoirdupois pound is legally defined as exactly 453.59237 grams. en.wikipedia.org
- 454 grams is a rounded value for one pound. nist.gov
- 2The unit of currency used in the United Kingdom and its dependencies, divided into 100 pence and written with the symbol £.
The painting sold for several thousand pounds at auction.
A pound today buys far less than it did fifty years ago.
UsagePlural pounds: it cost five pounds. In casual speech, also five pound.
Note
Sterling's unit keeps a plural without -s in casual British speech. George Eliot's Mr. Tulliver grumbles over "only a hundred and ninety-three pound" in The Mill on the Floss (1860), and the colloquial plural is still pound. Quid and nicker are the slang names. Pound sterling and GBP are the formal and banking ones.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- George Eliot wrote The Mill on the Floss, first published in 1860. en.wikipedia.org
- Mr. Tulliver says “Only a hundred and ninety-three pound,” expressing discontent. gutenberg.org
- 3To strike something hard and repeatedly, as with a fist or a heavy tool.
Protesters pounded the heavy gates, demanding to be heard.
Boxers pound the heavy bag for hours in training.
UsagePound something, or pound on it to stress the knocking: pound on the door.
Similarhit, beat, hammer, batter, bang
Note
Two constructions sit side by side. The direct object takes the blow, as in pounded the table, while pound on stresses the knocking, as when the narrator of Bob Dylan's "Motorpsycho Nitemare" (1964) pounds on the house of a farmer.
- 4To beat strongly or throb, as the heart, blood, or head does.
Her pulse pounded in her ears as she waited for the results.
After sprinting upstairs, their hearts pound against their ribs.
UsageOften with -ing and a place: my heart was pounding, blood pounding in my ears.
- 5Short for pound force: a unit of force, about 4.45 newtons, used especially to measure the thrust of engines.
The small jet engine puts out roughly 3,000 pounds of thrust at takeoff.
A tiny model jet engine might produce barely a pound of thrust.
Note
Engineering shorthand, safe only where nothing suggests mass: a spring rated at one pound means one pound of force, the gravitational force on a one-pound mass under standard gravity. The full term appears both open and hyphenated, as pound-force, and the short form shares its spelling with the everyday unit of mass. The plural stays the regular pounds.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- The definition requires standard gravity; the gravitational force on a given mass varies with local gravity. nist.gov
- 6The basic monetary unit of several other countries, now including Egypt, Lebanon, Sudan, and Syria, and formerly Ireland, Cyprus, Israel, Nigeria, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and the American colonies.
The Lebanese pound lost much of its value during the financial crisis.
Sudan introduced a new pound after years of high inflation.
UsageName the country: the Egyptian pound, the Lebanese pound.
Note
James Joyce's Ulysses (1922) shows the older way of counting money, with a fee of three pounds, thirteen and six, meaning pounds first, then shillings and pence. The Irish pound was also called the punt.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 5 facts
- James Joyce wrote Ulysses. gutenberg.org
- Ulysses was first published as a book in 1922. en.wikisource.org
- Ulysses describes a writing fee of three pounds, thirteen and six. gutenberg.org
- The amount means three pounds, thirteen shillings and sixpence, in that order. bankofengland.co.uk
- The Irish pound was also called the punt. en.wikipedia.org
Less common meanings
- 7An enclosed place where stray animals, or vehicles that have been towed away, are kept until their owners claim them.
Animal control delivered the stray to the pound before nightfall.
Several stray dogs from the neighborhood ended up in the pound that week.
UsageUsually the pound: take a dog to the pound, get a car back from the pound.
Similarshelter
Note
The usual phrase is send to the pound, and it stretches easily. N. R. Kleinfield's 1997 New York Times obituary of Robert Sarnoff says he "sent to the pound" Nipper, the RCA dog, meaning he sidelined the mascot as a company symbol. Animal shelter is the gentler name.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- Kleinfield wrote a New York Times obituary of Robert Sarnoff published in 1997. en.wikipedia.org
- The obituary, attributed to N. R. Kleinfield, uses the exact expression "sent to the pound" about Sarnoff's treatment of Nipper. en.wiktionary.org
- Nipper was an RCA advertising dog. en.wikipedia.org
- 8Any of various units of weight called a pound in different times, places, or trading systems, whose values differ from one another and from the English pound.
Historically, the pound varied from one trading system to another.
Before weights were standardized, a merchant had to learn how heavy the local pound was in each market.
Note
Each system fixed its own value, which is why the avoirdupois pound and the troy pound differ. Older European pounds, such as the French livre and the German Pfund, also had local values until metric units replaced them in the nineteenth century.
- 9To crush something into small pieces, a powder, or a paste by striking it repeatedly, as with a pestle.
The miller pounded the grain until it became flour.
Traditional cooks pound the chilies into a smooth paste.
UsageThe result usually follows: pound garlic to a paste, pound seeds into powder.
Note
It belongs with the mortar and pestle. Alex Haley's Roots (1976) opens on village women pounding with wooden pestles, and Indian Cookery "Local" for Young Housekeepers includes the curry instruction "Pound an onion".
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- Mortars and pestles are used for pounding. archive.org
- Alex Haley wrote Roots, first published in 1976. en.wikipedia.org
- The opening of Roots depicts village women pounding grain with wooden pestles. teachtnhistory.org
- 10The typographic symbol #, referred to in American usage as the pound sign.
After dialing the extension, enter a pound to connect your call.
She labeled each entry with a pound followed by its number.
UsageCommon phone phrases include press pound and the pound key. The symbol is also called hash or the number sign.
Similarhash, hashtag, octothorpe
Note
An American name for #, heard most on telephone menus: press pound, enter your number followed by pound. Elsewhere the same mark goes by hash, number sign or octothorpe, and in a hashtag it is the hash. Because the currency's symbol is £, the phrase pound sign can mean # to one reader and £ to another. Name the symbol when it matters.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- The pound currency symbol is £. en.wikipedia.org
- 11To move heavily and noisily, especially with heavy, thudding steps, whether walking or running.
The marchers pounded steadily toward the town square.
Riot police pound forward behind their shields.
UsageA direction usually follows: pound along, pound up the stairs.
Similartramp, stomp, march, plod, lumber
Oppositetiptoe
Note
The heavy-footed sense travels by water too. In Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness (1899), the travelers "pounded along," stopping to land soldiers and clerks. The weight is heard as much as felt.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- Joseph Conrad wrote Heart of Darkness. gutenberg.org
- Heart of Darkness was first published in 1899. en.wikisource.org
- The words “pounded along” describe the travelers' progress by water; Marlow narrates the passage. gutenberg.org
- 12To eat or drink something very quickly.
The crew pounded their lunches and hurried back to work.
After the run I always pound a big glass of water.
UsageMostly with drinks: pound a beer, pound a glass of water.
Note
Party slang, used most often for drink: pound a beer, or the band downing its Pilsner in The Dreadnoughts' "Fire Marshall Willy" (2007). It means finishing something fast and in one go, close to chug and down. Bolt is the nearer match for food.
- 13A hard blow, delivered with heavy force against a surface or object.
A single pound on the gate echoed across the yard.
The drum gave a deep boom with every pound.
Similarpounding
- 14A unit of mass equal to 12 troy ounces, about 373 grams, used today mainly for weighing precious metals.
In troy weight, which is used for gold and silver, a pound is divided into twelve ounces.
The museum label lists the silver cup's weight as two troy pounds.
Note
A jeweler's and refiner's pound, written lb t. It has fewer ounces than the everyday pound but heavier ones. Twelve troy ounces at about 31.1 grams each still come to less than sixteen avoirdupois ounces at about 28.35 grams. That is why a troy pound is the lighter of the two even though its ounce is the heavier.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 5 facts
- Troy weight has an established association with jewelers. gutenberg.org
- Refiners historically used a system based on the troy pound. publications.gc.ca
- The troy pound is abbreviated lb t and contains twelve troy ounces. en.wikipedia.org
- A troy ounce is about 31.1 grams, and an avoirdupois ounce is about 28.35 grams, making the troy ounce heavier. nist.gov
- The avoirdupois pound contains sixteen ounces and is heavier than the twelve-ounce troy pound; consequently the note's comparison and explanation are correct. en.wikipedia.org
- 15To penetrate someone sexually in a hard, vigorous, and forceful way.
The explicit scene showed him pounding his lover on the table.
He bragged that he could pound a partner all night long.
UsageWithout clear context, pounding her or pounding him can sound sexual. If you mean physical blows, hit repeatedly avoids that ambiguity.
Similarnail, drill, bang, bone, penetrate
Note
Vulgar slang that belongs to boasting talk and explicit lyrics, such as Gucci Mane's "Bachelor Pad" (2008).
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- "Bachelor Pad" is a Gucci Mane song released in 2008. music.apple.com
- The song uses "pound" in its sexual sense. en.wiktionary.org
- 16In baseball, to deliver pitches repeatedly and accurately to one chosen location.
Veteran arms pound the zone and force quick, early swings.
The rookie pounded the knees with sinkers all night.
Note
In baseball slang the object is often a place: pound the outside corner, pound the knees, pound the zone. The phrase praises command, meaning a pitcher who keeps hitting the same spot. Pounding the zone means throwing strikes relentlessly. A batter can be the object too, as in pounding a hitter inside, but a pitcher who gets pounded belongs to the striking sense: the batters did the damage.
- 17To make a heavy, jarring noise, as a machine or engine does when running roughly.
The pistons pound whenever the timing slips.
Worn bearings make the pump pound at high speed.
Similarknock, thump, bang, hammer, clatter
Oppositepurr
Note
In engine talk, pounding is a symptom: a heavy, rhythmic knock that can tell a mechanic moving parts are striking each other, usually through wear, excess clearance or misalignment. The construction is intransitive, with the machine as subject: the engine pounds. The heartbeat sense is built the same way.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 4 facts
- Pounding is a mechanical knock that can indicate an engine fault. legacy.maritime.org
- Pounding can indicate parts striking each other, but insufficient piston cushioning can also produce it through abrupt deceleration. gutenberg.org
- Wear and excessive clearance are common mechanical causes of pounding. gutenberg.org
- Misalignment can cause pounding. gutenberg.org
- 18The part of a canal that lies between two neighboring locks.
Engineers drained the pound to repair the canal lining.
A long pound can stretch for miles without any change in level.
Similarreach
Note
The canal sense keeps the enclosure word's watery side. The related Old English pyndan meant "to dam" as well as "to enclose", and pynd was a cistern or lake. A pound is water held in by the locks at either end. Canal people also call it a reach, and its surface area decides how far a single lockful of water draws its level down.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 4 facts
- The enclosure word pound is related to Old English pyndan, meaning both to enclose and to dam. en.wiktionary.org
- Old English pynd meant a cistern or lake. en.wiktionary.org
- A canal pound consists of water impounded between two locks. en.wikipedia.org
- The drop depends on the pound's surface area and the volume withdrawn. Filling the downstream lock lowers the pound; emptying the upstream lock adds water. americancanalsociety.org
- 19To confine a stray animal in a pound, or to shut something up as if in one.
When I short haue shorne my sowce face & swigg’d my horny barrell, In an oaken Inne I pound my skin as a suite of guilt apparrell
c. 1620, anonymous, “Tom o’ Bedlam’s Song” in Giles Earle his Booke - 20An English-language name informally applied to various foreign currencies that are not officially called pounds.
- 21The staff collectively employed at a pound for stray animals or impounded vehicles.
- 22To place a one-pound bet on someone or something.
“He's done,” said the Moocher brutally. “He didn't hear nuffin, I'll pound it.”
1874, Marcus Clarke, For the Term of His Natural Life - 23A fishing net forming a large enclosure with a narrow entrance, into which fish are guided by outspread wings of netting.
- 24A partitioned section within a fishing stage where cod is cured in salt brine.
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origins
From Middle English "pound", from Old English "pund" ("a pound, weight"), going back through Proto-Germanic to an early borrowing from Latin "pondo" ("by weight"), from "pondus" ("weight"). It is related to Dutch "pond" and German "Pfund".
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 4 facts
- English pound comes from Middle English pound and Old English pund, meaning a pound or weight. en.wiktionary.org
- The word descends through Proto-Germanic from an early borrowing of Latin pondo, meaning by weight. en.wiktionary.org
- Latin pondo derives from pondus, meaning weight. en.wikipedia.org
- English pound is related to Dutch pond and German Pfund. en.wiktionary.org
Old English "*pund" ("an enclosure") gave Middle English "pounde." It is connected to the Old English verb "pyndan" ("to enclose, shut up, dam, impound").
From Middle English "pounen", from Old English "punian" ("to pound, beat, bruise, crush"), from a Proto-West Germanic root meaning "broken pieces, rubble." It may be related to Dutch "puin" ("debris, rubbish").
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 4 facts
- The verb pound derives from Middle English pounen. en.wiktionary.org
- Middle English pounen derives from Old English punian, meaning to pound, beat, bruise, or crush. en.wiktionary.org
- Old English punian derives from a Proto-West Germanic root meaning broken pieces or rubble. en.wiktionary.org
- Dutch puin means debris or rubbish. en.wiktionary.org