pound

POWND/paʊnd/

Pluralpounds

Verbpounds, pounding, pounded

24 meanings of pound

Practice

1
nouncountable
A unit for measuring how heavy something is, equal to 16 ounces or about 454 grams.
Like the weight of a loaf of bread you hold in one hand.
The recipe calls for one pound of flour.
A newborn often weighs around seven pounds.
UsageSay a pound of flour. The short form is lb.
Note
2
British moneynouncountable
The money used in the United Kingdom, made up of 100 smaller units called pence.
Like the dollar in America, but used in Britain instead.
He paid one pound for a cup of tea.
The toy cost five pounds.
UsageWritten with the £ sign before the number: £10 (say ten pounds).
Similarquid, GBP, nicker
Note
3
hit repeatedlyverbtransitive
To hit something hard over and over again.
Like hitting a drum hard, over and over.
The waves pound the shore all day.
She pounded the meat to make it soft.
UsageSay pound on the door or pound the table.
Similarhit, beat, hammer, batter, bang
Note
4
throbverbintransitive
To beat hard and fast, the way a heart or head does.
Like a drum beating fast inside your chest.
My ears pound after a loud concert.
His heart pounded with fear.
UsageSay my heart was pounding, or my head is pounding.
Similarthrob, pulse, hammer, thump, thud
5
nounabbreviationellipsis
Short for pound force: a unit for measuring a push or pull.
A pound of thrust is not much for a jet engine.
The gauge showed just under one pound of force.
Note
6
nouncountable
The name of the money used in some other countries, such as Egypt or Lebanon, now or in the past.
Like the way the United States and Canada each have a dollar, several countries each have their own pound.
The Egyptian pound is the money used in Egypt.
She changed her dollars into Egyptian pounds at the airport.
UsageSay the Egyptian pound, naming the country.
Note

Less common meanings

7
nouncountable
A place where lost animals or towed cars are kept until their owners come to get them.
Like a temporary home for animals that have no owner nearby.
They found their missing dog at the pound.
Workers at the pound feed the animals twice a day.
UsageSay at the pound or to the pound.
Similarshelter
Note
8
nouncountable
Any of several old or foreign units of weight called a pound, each a slightly different size.
Like how a cup can mean slightly different amounts in different countries.
Long ago, each region had its own pound for weighing goods.
In old times, a pound in one town could weigh more than a pound in the next.
Note
9
crushverbtransitive
To break something into very small pieces or powder by hitting it again and again.
Like crushing a cookie into crumbs with your hand.
Workers pound the rocks into gravel.
She pounded the dried herbs into dust.
UsageSay pound something into powder or to a paste.
Similarpulverize, triturate
Note
10
number signnounUScountable
The symbol #, also known as the number sign.
Like the star key on a phone, but with the # symbol instead.
Type your password, then press pound.
The phone menu told me to press the pound sign.
UsageOn a phone, press pound means press #.
Similarhash, hashtag, octothorpe
Note
11
walk heavilyverbintransitive
To walk or run with heavy, loud steps.
Like an elephant walking with slow, heavy steps.
The giant pounded across the field.
We could hear them pound up the stairs.
UsageSay pound up the stairs or pound across a field.
Similartramp, stomp, march, plod, lumber
Oppositetiptoe
Note
12
eat fastverbslangtransitive
To eat or drink something very fast.
Like swallowing a whole snack in just a few seconds.
I can pound a whole sandwich in under a minute.
He pounded a can of soda before the game started.
UsageA common phrase is pound a beer.
Similardown, bolt, chug, eat
Oppositesip, savor
Note
13
hard blownouncountable
A single strong hit that lands with a lot of force.
She gave the table a hard pound with her fist.
Late at night, the kids heard a loud pound on the front door.
Similarpounding
14
gold weightnouncountable
A unit of weight used mainly for gold and silver, equal to 12 troy ounces.
Like a special weight used only for valuable metals such as gold.
A troy pound of gold is lighter than a regular pound.
Jewelers know that a troy pound has only twelve ounces.
Note
15
rough sexverbslangvulgartransitive
To have rough, energetic sex with someone, pushing in hard.
The neighbors could hear him pounding her through the thin wall.
She wanted him to pound her harder.
UsageWith a person as the object, pound can sound sexual. If you mean hitting someone, say hit repeatedly.
Similarnail, drill, bang, bone, penetrate
Note
16
baseball pitchingverbslangtransitive
In baseball, to keep throwing pitches to the same exact spot over and over.
Like throwing darts at the same spot on the board again and again.
Good pitchers pound the strike zone instead of nibbling at the edges.
He pounded the low corner until the batter chased a bad pitch.
Similarattack, work
Note
17
knock (machines)verbintransitive
To make a loud, hard knocking noise, like a machine that is not running smoothly.
Like a washing machine that bangs loudly when the load inside is uneven.
The old engine began to pound as soon as it warmed up.
You could hear the motor pound under the hood.
Similarknock, thump, bang, hammer, clatter
Oppositepurr
Note
18
canal sectionnouncountable
The stretch of water in a canal between two locks.
Like a calm, flat stretch of water sitting between two gates.
Boats waited in the pound until the lock gates opened.
The water along the pound stayed calm and flat.
Similarreach
Note
19
verbarchaic
To shut a stray animal in a closed place and hold it until its owner comes.
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
20
nouncolloquial
An informal name English speakers give to some foreign money not really called a pound.
21
noun
The workers at a place that keeps stray animals or towed cars.
22
verbslangUK
To bet one pound on something, like a horse or a game.
“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
23
noun
A large fishing net with a small opening that guides fish into a trap.
24
noundialectalNewfoundland
A walled section inside a fishing shed where cod is packed in salt to cure.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of pound apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–2, 5–6, 8, 10, 14

From Old English "pund" meaning a pound or weight. It came from Latin "pondo" meaning "by weight."

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

English pound derives from Old English pund, meaning a pound or weight. en.wiktionary.org
The word ultimately comes from Latin pondo, meaning by weight. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 7, 18

From an Old English word pund, meaning an enclosure, known only from compound words.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

Old English *pund meaning an enclosure is reconstructed as an independent word; it is attested only in compounds. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 3–4, 9, 11–13, 15–17

From Old English "punian" meaning to pound, beat, or crush.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

The verb pound derives from Old English punian, meaning to pound, beat, or crush. en.wiktionary.org