POUND

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does Pound mean? 

• POUND (noun)
  The noun POUND has 14 senses:

1. 16 ounces avoirdupois

2. the basic unit of money in Great Britain and Northern Ireland; equal to 100 pence

3. a unit of apothecary weight equal to 12 ounces troy

4. the basic unit of money in Syria; equal to 100 piasters

5. the basic unit of money in the Sudan; equal to 100 piasters

6. the basic unit of money in Lebanon; equal to 100 piasters

7. formerly the basic unit of money in Ireland; equal to 100 pence

8. the basic unit of money in Egypt; equal to 100 piasters

9. the basic unit of money in Cyprus; equal to 100 cents

10. a nontechnical unit of force equal to the mass of 1 pound with an acceleration of free fall equal to 32 feet/sec/sec

11. United States writer who lived in Europe; strongly influenced the development of modern literature (1885-1972)

12. a symbol for a unit of currency (especially for the pound sterling in Great Britain)

13. a public enclosure for stray or unlicensed dogs

14. the act of pounding (delivering repeated heavy blows)

  Familiarity information: POUND used as a noun is familiar.

• POUND (verb)
  The verb POUND has 8 senses:

1. hit hard with the hand, fist, or some heavy instrument

2. strike or drive against with a heavy impact

3. move heavily or clumsily

4. move rhythmically

5. partition off into compartments

6. shut up or confine in any enclosure or within any bounds or limits

7. place or shut up in a pound

8. break down and crush by beating, as with a pestle

  Familiarity information: POUND used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• POUND (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

16 ounces avoirdupois

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Synonyms:

lb; pound

Context example:

he got a hernia when he tried to lift 100 pounds

Hypernyms ("pound" is a kind of...):

avoirdupois unit (any of the units of the avoirdupois system of weights)

Meronyms (parts of "pound"):

half pound (8 ounces avoirdupois)

ounce; oz. (a unit of weight equal to one sixteenth of a pound or 16 drams or 28.349 grams)

Holonyms ("pound" is a part of...):

stone (an avoirdupois unit used to measure the weight of a human body; equal to 14 pounds)

quarter (a quarter of a hundredweight (25 pounds))

Sense 2

Meaning:

The basic unit of money in Great Britain and Northern Ireland; equal to 100 pence

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Synonyms:

British pound; British pound sterling; pound; pound sterling; quid

Hypernyms ("pound" is a kind of...):

British monetary unit (monetary unit in Great Britain)

Meronyms (parts of "pound"):

penny (a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A unit of apothecary weight equal to 12 ounces troy

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Hypernyms ("pound" is a kind of...):

force unit (a unit of measurement of physical force)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The basic unit of money in Syria; equal to 100 piasters

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Synonyms:

pound; Syrian pound

Hypernyms ("pound" is a kind of...):

Syrian monetary unit (monetary unit in Syria)

Meronyms (parts of "pound"):

piaster; piastre (a fractional monetary unit in Egypt and Lebanon and Sudan and Syria)

Sense 5

Meaning:

The basic unit of money in the Sudan; equal to 100 piasters

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Synonyms:

pound; Sudanese pound

Hypernyms ("pound" is a kind of...):

Sudanese monetary unit (monetary unit in the Sudan)

Meronyms (parts of "pound"):

piaster; piastre (a fractional monetary unit in Egypt and Lebanon and Sudan and Syria)

Sense 6

Meaning:

The basic unit of money in Lebanon; equal to 100 piasters

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Synonyms:

Lebanese pound; pound

Hypernyms ("pound" is a kind of...):

Lebanese monetary unit (monetary unit in Lebanon)

Meronyms (parts of "pound"):

piaster; piastre (a fractional monetary unit in Egypt and Lebanon and Sudan and Syria)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Formerly the basic unit of money in Ireland; equal to 100 pence

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Synonyms:

Irish pound; Irish punt; pound; punt

Hypernyms ("pound" is a kind of...):

Irish monetary unit (monetary unit in Eire)

Meronyms (parts of "pound"):

penny (a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound)

Sense 8

Meaning:

The basic unit of money in Egypt; equal to 100 piasters

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Synonyms:

Egyptian pound; pound

Hypernyms ("pound" is a kind of...):

Egyptian monetary unit (monetary unit in Egypt)

Meronyms (parts of "pound"):

piaster; piastre (a fractional monetary unit in Egypt and Lebanon and Sudan and Syria)

Sense 9

Meaning:

The basic unit of money in Cyprus; equal to 100 cents

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Synonyms:

Cypriot pound; pound

Hypernyms ("pound" is a kind of...):

Cypriot monetary unit (monetary unit in Cyprus)

Meronyms (parts of "pound"):

mil (a Cypriot monetary unit equal to one thousandth of a pound)

Sense 10

Meaning:

A nontechnical unit of force equal to the mass of 1 pound with an acceleration of free fall equal to 32 feet/sec/sec

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Synonyms:

lbf.; pound

Hypernyms ("pound" is a kind of...):

force unit (a unit of measurement of physical force)

Meronyms (parts of "pound"):

quarter pound (4 ounces avoirdupois)

Sense 11

Meaning:

United States writer who lived in Europe; strongly influenced the development of modern literature (1885-1972)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

Ezra Loomis Pound; Ezra Pound; Pound

Instance hypernyms:

poet (a writer of poems (the term is usually reserved for writers of good poetry))

author; writer (writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay))

Sense 12

Meaning:

A symbol for a unit of currency (especially for the pound sterling in Great Britain)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

pound; pound sign

Hypernyms ("pound" is a kind of...):

symbol (an arbitrary sign (written or printed) that has acquired a conventional significance)

Sense 13

Meaning:

A public enclosure for stray or unlicensed dogs

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

dog pound; pound

Context example:

unlicensed dogs will be taken to the pound

Hypernyms ("pound" is a kind of...):

enclosure (a structure consisting of an area that has been enclosed for some purpose)

Derivation:

pound (place or shut up in a pound)

Sense 14

Meaning:

The act of pounding (delivering repeated heavy blows)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

hammer; hammering; pound; pounding

Context example:

the pounding of feet on the hallway

Hypernyms ("pound" is a kind of...):

blow (a powerful stroke with the fist or a weapon)

Derivation:

pound (break down and crush by beating, as with a pestle)

pound (hit hard with the hand, fist, or some heavy instrument)

pound (strike or drive against with a heavy impact)

• POUND (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Hit hard with the hand, fist, or some heavy instrument

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

poke; pound; thump

Context example:

a bible-thumping Southern Baptist

Hypernyms (to "pound" is one way to...):

hit (deal a blow to, either with the hand or with an instrument)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

pound; pounding (the act of pounding (delivering repeated heavy blows))

Sense 2

Meaning:

Strike or drive against with a heavy impact

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

pound; ram; ram down

Context example:

pound on the door

Hypernyms (to "pound" is one way to...):

thrust (push forcefully)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

pound (the act of pounding (delivering repeated heavy blows))

Sense 3

Meaning:

Move heavily or clumsily

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

lumber; pound

Context example:

The heavy man lumbered across the room

Hypernyms (to "pound" is one way to...):

walk (use one's feet to advance; advance by steps)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Sentence example:

The children pound to the playground

Sense 4

Meaning:

Move rhythmically

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

beat; pound; thump

Context example:

Her heart was beating fast

Hypernyms (to "pound" is one way to...):

move (move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion)

Verb group:

beat (indicate by beating, as with the fingers or drumsticks)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "pound"):

pulsate; pulse; throb (expand and contract rhythmically; beat rhythmically)

flutter; palpitate (beat rapidly)

thrash (beat so fast that (the heart's) output starts dropping until (it) does not manage to pump out blood at all)

flap (move noisily)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP

Derivation:

pounding (an instance of rapid strong pulsation (of the heart))

Sense 5

Meaning:

Partition off into compartments

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

pound; pound off

Context example:

The locks pound the water of the canal

Hypernyms (to "pound" is one way to...):

partition; partition off (divide into parts, pieces, or sections)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 6

Meaning:

Shut up or confine in any enclosure or within any bounds or limits

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

pound; pound up

Context example:

The prisoners are safely pounded

Hypernyms (to "pound" is one way to...):

confine; constrain; hold; restrain (to close within bounds, or otherwise limit or deprive of free movement)

Verb group:

impound; pound (place or shut up in a pound)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

poundage (placing private property in the custody of an officer of the law)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Place or shut up in a pound

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

impound; pound

Context example:

pound the cows so they don't stray

Hypernyms (to "pound" is one way to...):

confine; constrain; hold; restrain (to close within bounds, or otherwise limit or deprive of free movement)

Verb group:

pound; pound up (shut up or confine in any enclosure or within any bounds or limits)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

pound (a public enclosure for stray or unlicensed dogs)

Sense 8

Meaning:

Break down and crush by beating, as with a pestle

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

pound the roots with a heavy flat stone

Hypernyms (to "pound" is one way to...):

break up; fragment; fragmentise; fragmentize (break or cause to break into pieces)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

pound (the act of pounding (delivering repeated heavy blows))

pounder (a heavy tool of stone or iron (usually with a flat base and a handle) that is used to grind and mix material (as grain or drugs or pigments) against a slab of stone)

 Context examples 

Mr. Mason, he found, had a son and daughter; and he learned from him that he could and would give the latter a fortune of thirty thousand pounds: that sufficed.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

He says that it was a ten-pound note.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Three pound fifteen each—that is how it averaged.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I assure you that two thousand pounds would be a drain upon her resources, and that the sum you name is utterly beyond her power.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

A high birth weight is more than 8.8 pounds.

(Birth Weight, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

I would not be bound to go two miles in it for fifty thousand pounds.

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

Had he been privy to her conversation with his son, he would not have wished her to belong to him, though her twenty thousand pounds had been forty.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

His purse contained two pounds fifteen.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

A visit to the bank, where several thousand pounds were found to be lying to the murderer’s credit, completed his gratification.

(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

Patient Health Questionnaire - 15 (PHQ-15) Feeling your heart pound or race.

(PHQ-15 - Feeling Your Heart Pound or Race, NCI Thesaurus)