# pound

Pronunciation: US say "POWND" /paʊnd/; UK

## Noun

1. A 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.
   - Simple: A unit for measuring how heavy something is, equal to 16 ounces or about 454 grams.
   - _She bought a pound of ground coffee at the market._
   - _Each sealed box weighs exactly two pounds._
2. The unit of currency used in the United Kingdom and its dependencies, divided into 100 pence and written with the symbol £.
   - Simple: The money used in the United Kingdom, made up of 100 smaller units called pence.
   - _The painting sold for several thousand pounds at auction._
   - _A pound today buys far less than it did fifty years ago._
7. An enclosed place where stray animals, or vehicles that have been towed away, are kept until their owners claim them.
   - Simple: A place where lost animals or towed cars are kept until their owners come to get them.
   - _Animal control delivered the stray to the pound before nightfall._
   - _Several stray dogs from the neighborhood ended up in the pound that week._
8. Any 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.
   - Simple: Any of several old or foreign units of weight called a pound, each a slightly different size.
   - _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._
10. The typographic symbol #, referred to in American usage as the pound sign. *(US)*
   - Simple: The symbol #, also known as the number sign.
   - _After dialing the extension, enter a pound to connect your call._
   - _She labeled each entry with a pound followed by its number._
13. A hard blow, delivered with heavy force against a surface or object.
   - Simple: A single strong hit that lands with a lot of force.
   - _A single pound on the gate echoed across the yard._
   - _The drum gave a deep boom with every pound._
5. Short for pound force: a unit of force, about 4.45 newtons, used especially to measure the thrust of engines. — Ellipsis of pound force.
   - Simple: Short for pound force: a unit for measuring a push or pull.
   - _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._
6. The 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.
   - Simple: The name of the money used in some other countries, such as Egypt or Lebanon, now or in the past.
   - _The Lebanese pound lost much of its value during the financial crisis._
   - _Sudan introduced a new pound after years of high inflation._
14. A unit of mass equal to 12 troy ounces, about 373 grams, used today mainly for weighing precious metals.
   - Simple: A unit of weight used mainly for gold and silver, equal to 12 troy ounces.
   - _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._
18. The part of a canal that lies between two neighboring locks.
   - Simple: The stretch of water in a canal between two locks.
   - _Engineers drained the pound to repair the canal lining._
   - _A long pound can stretch for miles without any change in level._

## Verb

3. To strike something hard and repeatedly, as with a fist or a heavy tool.
   - Simple: To hit something hard over and over again.
   - _Protesters pounded the heavy gates, demanding to be heard._
   - _Boxers pound the heavy bag for hours in training._
4. To beat strongly or throb, as the heart, blood, or head does.
   - Simple: To beat hard and fast, the way a heart or head does.
   - _Her pulse pounded in her ears as she waited for the results._
   - _After sprinting upstairs, their hearts pound against their ribs._
9. To crush something into small pieces, a powder, or a paste by striking it repeatedly, as with a pestle.
   - Simple: To break something into very small pieces or powder by hitting it again and again.
   - _The miller pounded the grain until it became flour._
   - _Traditional cooks pound the chilies into a smooth paste._
11. To move heavily and noisily, especially with heavy, thudding steps, whether walking or running.
   - Simple: To walk or run with heavy, loud steps.
   - _The marchers pounded steadily toward the town square._
   - _Riot police pound forward behind their shields._
12. To eat or drink something very quickly. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To eat or drink something very fast.
   - _The crew pounded their lunches and hurried back to work._
   - _After the run I always pound a big glass of water._
15. To penetrate someone sexually in a hard, vigorous, and forceful way. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To have rough, energetic sex with someone, pushing in hard.
   - _The explicit scene showed him pounding his lover on the table._
   - _He bragged that he could pound a partner all night long._
16. In baseball, to deliver pitches repeatedly and accurately to one chosen location. *(slang)*
   - Simple: In baseball, to keep throwing pitches to the same exact spot over and over.
   - _Veteran arms pound the zone and force quick, early swings._
   - _The rookie pounded the knees with sinkers all night._
17. To make a heavy, jarring noise, as a machine or engine does when running roughly.
   - Simple: To make a loud, hard knocking noise, like a machine that is not running smoothly.
   - _The pistons pound whenever the timing slips._
   - _Worn bearings make the pump pound at high speed._

## Other meanings

- (verb) To confine a stray animal in a pound, or to shut something up as if in one.
- (noun) An English-language name informally applied to various foreign currencies that are not officially called pounds.
- (noun) The staff collectively employed at a pound for stray animals or impounded vehicles.
- (verb) To place a one-pound bet on someone or something.
- (noun) A fishing net forming a large enclosure with a narrow entrance, into which fish are guided by outspread wings of netting.
- (noun) A partitioned section within a fishing stage where cod is cured in salt brine.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–2, 5–6, 8, 10, 14** — 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".
**Meanings 7, 18** — Old English "*pund" ("an enclosure") gave Middle English "pounde." It is connected to the Old English verb "pyndan" ("to enclose, shut up, dam, impound").
**Meanings 3–4, 9, 11–13, 15–17** — 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").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/pound (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).