to strike repeatedly with great force, as with an instrument, the fist, heavy missiles, etc.
to produce or effect by striking or thumping, or in a manner resembling this (often followed by out): to pound out a tune on the piano.
to force (a way) by battering; batter (often followed by down): He pounded his way through the mob. He pounded the door down.
to crush into a powder or paste by beating repeatedly.
verb (used without object)
to strike heavy blows repeatedly: to pound on a door.
to beat or throb violently, as the heart.
to give forth a thumping sound: The drums pounded loudly.
to walk or go with heavy steps; move along with force or vigor.
noun
the act of pounding.
a heavy or forcible blow.
a thump.
Origin of pound
1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English pounen, ponne “to pulverize, crush, powder,” Old English pūnian “to pound, beat”; akin to Dutch puin “rubbish.” The final, unetymological -d appears in the16th century
a unit of weight and of mass, varying in different periods and countries.
(in English-speaking countries) an avoirdupois unit of weight equal to 7000 grains, divided into 16 ounces (0.453 kilogram), used for ordinary commerce. Abbreviations: lb., lb. av.
a troy unit of weight, in the U.S. and formerly in Britain, equal to 5760 grains, divided into 12 ounces (0.373 kilogram), used for gold, silver, and other precious metals. Abbreviation: lb. t.
(in the United States) an apothecaries' unit of weight equal to 5760 grains, divided into 12 ounces (0.373 kilogram). Abbreviation: lb. ap.
Also called pound sterling. a paper money, nickel-brass coin, and monetary unit of the United Kingdom formerly equal to 20 shillings or 240 pence: equal to 100 new pence after decimalization in Feb. 1971. Abbreviation: L; Symbol: £
any of the monetary units of various countries, as Egypt, Lebanon, Sudan, Syria, and of certain Commonwealth of Nations countries.
a monetary unit of Ireland until the euro was adopted, equal to 100 pence.
a monetary unit of Cyprus until the euro was adopted, equal to 100 cents.
Also called pound Scots. a former Scottish money of account, originally equal to the pound sterling but equal to only a twelfth of the pound sterling at the union of the crowns of England and Scotland in 1603.
(formerly) the Turkish lira.
a former monetary unit of Israel, Libya, and Nigeria.
pounds,Citizens Band RadioSlang. a meter reading in units of five decibels: used as a measure of loudness for incoming signals.
Origin of pound
2
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English pund (cognate with Dutch pond, German Pfund, Gothic, Old Norse pund ), ultimately from Latin pondō “by weight, in weight” (adverb), in the phrase libra pondō “a pound by weight”; see origin at ponder, libra1
Definition for pound (3 of 4)
pound3
[ pound ]
/ paʊnd /
noun
an enclosure maintained by local government for confining stray or homeless animals: dog pound.
an enclosure for sheltering, keeping, or confining livestock, or for trapping wild animals.
an enclosure or trap for fish.
a place of confinement or imprisonment.
a place or area where cars or other vehicles are impounded, as those towed away for being illegally parked: I not only had to go all the way across town to the pound, but had to pay a killer fine.
reach (def. 26).
verb (used with object)
Archaic. to shut up in or as in a pound; impound; imprison.
Origin of pound
3
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English poond; compare Late Old English pund- in pundfald “animal pound, fold;” see origin at pinfold; akin to pond
Definition for pound (4 of 4)
Pound
[ pound ]
/ paʊnd /
noun
Ezra Loo·mis[loo-mis], /ˈlu mɪs/, 1885–1972, U.S. poet.
Louise, 1872–1958, U.S. scholar and linguist.
her brother, Roscoe, 1870–1964, U.S. legal scholar and writer.
Soros Fund Management, the hedge fund still best known for “breaking” the Bank of England with its 1992 bet against the pound, has also tentatively returned to its roots.
Hedge Fund ‘Pirates’ Set Sail Again|Daniel Malloy|August 21, 2020|Ozy
Anything you can do to accelerate the rate of conventional breeding is going to reduce the environmental footprint of a glass of milk or a pound of meat.
Biotechnology Could Change the Cattle Industry. Will It Succeed?|Dyllan Furness|August 16, 2020|Singularity Hub
Humans even hold their own, pound for pound, against other meat-eating animals.
When it comes to downing hot dogs, science says there’s a limit|Jonathan Lambert|August 7, 2020|Science News For Students
In San Diego, between January and March, drug seizures of all kinds fell from 14,784 pounds to 4,901 pounds, though numbers have started to increase more recently.
Border Report: The Pandemic Has Upended the Illegal Drug Trade|Maya Srikrishnan|June 22, 2020|Voice of San Diego
Lower than 50 percent because food is more expensive, per pound, in restaurants.
What Happens When Everyone Stays Home to Eat? (Ep. 412)|Stephen J. Dubner|April 9, 2020|Freakonomics
The news reports of the speech quoted that line, so it became the pound cake speech.
A Full-Length Bill Cosby Portrait: From Track Star to Ugly Sweaters|Scott Porch|September 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Today, ivory prices are at record highs, having tripled since that 2008 auction, up to around $1,500 a pound.
A World Without Elephants? Blame China|Michael Tomasky|August 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Or that, lacking alarm clocks, people hired watchmen to come to their house in the morning and pound on the door to wake them up?
Great Cities are Born Filthy|Will Doig|July 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The price of ivory continued to rise, and a pound of ivory now costs up to $1,500.
It is sold by the pound, cut to order, and presented not on a plate but on a sheet of butcher paper.
The Texas Church of Beef|Jane & Michael Stern|April 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Put a pound of loaf sugar into the pan which receives the juice, and let it remain until the sugar is dissolved.
The Lady's Own Cookery Book, and New Dinner-Table Directory;|Charlotte Campbell Bury
Suddenly, the mountain boy's heart began to pound in a strange way.
The Code of the Mountains|Charles Neville Buck
Pare and cut up the peaches in small pieces, and to a pound of fruit add a pound of sugar.
The National Cook Book, 9th ed.|Hannah Mary Peterson
The earliest and standard specimen of Roman coinage was the as, subdivided almost indefinitely, and originally weighing a pound.
The Continental Monthly, Vol. 6, No. 6, December 1864|Various
Pound smooth all these, and bottle it in, well corked, and use as above.
The Curry Cook's Assistant|Daniel Santiagoe
British Dictionary definitions for pound (1 of 4)
pound1
/ (paʊnd) /
verb
(when intr, often foll by on or at) to strike heavily and often
(tr)to beat to a pulp; pulverize
(tr)to instil by constant drillingto pound Latin into him
(tr foll by out) to produce, as by typing heavily
to walk (the pavement, street, etc) repeatedlyhe pounded the pavement looking for a job
(intr)to throb heavily
noun
a heavy blow; thump
the act of pounding
Derived forms of pound
pounder, noun
Word Origin for pound
Old English pūnian; related to Dutch puin rubble
British Dictionary definitions for pound (2 of 4)
pound2
/ (paʊnd) /
noun
an enclosure, esp one maintained by a public authority, for keeping officially removed vehicles or distrained goods or animals, esp stray dogs
a place where people are confined
a trap for animals
a trap or keepnet for fishSee pound net
verb
(tr)to confine in or as if in a pound; impound, imprison, or restrain
Word Origin for pound
C14: from Late Old English pund- as in pundfealdpinfold
British Dictionary definitions for pound (3 of 4)
pound3
/ (paʊnd) /
noun
an avoirdupois unit of weight that is divided into 16 ounces and is equal to 0.453 592 kilogramsAbbreviation: lb
a troy unit of weight divided into 12 ounces equal to 0.373 242 kilogramsAbbreviation: lb tr, lb t
an apothecaries' unit of weight, used in the US, that is divided into 5760 grains and is equal to one pound troy
(not in technical usage)a unit of force equal to the mass of 1 pound avoirdupois where the acceleration of free fall is 32.174 feet per second per secondAbbreviation: lbf
the standard monetary unit of the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, and various UK overseas territories, divided into 100 penceOfficial name: pound sterling
(as modifier)a pound coin
(the standard monetary unit of the following countries)
Cyprus: divided into 100 cents
Egypt: divided into 100 piastres
Lebanon: divided into 100 piastres
South Sudan: divided into 100 piastres
Syria: divided into 100 piastres
another name for lira (def. 2)
Also called: pound Scotsa former Scottish monetary unit originally worth an English pound but later declining in value to 1 shilling 8 pence
Also called: puntthe former standard monetary unit of the Republic of Ireland, divided into 100 pence; replaced by the euro in 2002
a former monetary unit of the Sudan replaced by the dinar in 1992
Word Origin for pound
Old English pund, from Latin pondō pound; related to German Pfund pound, Latin pondus weight
British Dictionary definitions for pound (4 of 4)
Pound
/ (paʊnd) /
noun
Ezra (Loomis). 1885–1972, US poet, translator, and critic, living in Europe. Indicted for treason by the US government (1945) for pro-Fascist broadcasts during World War II, he was committed to a mental hospital until 1958. He was a founder of imagism and championed the early work of such writers as T. S. Eliot, Joyce, and Hemingway. His life work, the Cantos (1925–70), is an unfinished sequence of poems, which incorporates mythological and historical materials in several languages as well as political, economic, and autobiographical elements