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pounding
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UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈpaʊndɪŋ/
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026pound1 /paʊnd/USA pronunciation
v.
- to strike repeatedly with force, as with an instrument, the fist, etc.: [~ + object]The boxer pounded his opponent to the canvas.[no object]The waves were pounding on the shore.
- to produce (something) by or as if by striking: [~ + object]pounded a tune on the old piano.[~ + out + object]She pounded out a tune.
- to crush into a powder or paste by beating repeatedly:[~ + object]The women in the village were pounding cassava.
- to beat heavily or quickly, as the heart:[no object]His heart was pounding after running up the stairs.
- pound away, [no object] to work with force or strength:pounding away night after night on his report.
n. [countable]
- the act of pounding.
Idioms
- Idioms pound the pavement, [Informal.]to walk the streets repeatedly, so as to find work:pounding the pavement for months, looking for a job.
pound2 /paʊnd/USA pronunciation
n., pl. pounds, (when thought of as a group) pound.
- Weights and Measures(in English-speaking countries) a unit of weight equal to 7000 grains, divided into 16 ounces (0.453 kg), used for ordinary commerce. Abbr.: lb.: [countable]several pounds of meat.[countable;
singular;
after a number and before a noun]a twenty-pound fish.
- CurrencyAlso called pound sterling. the basic monetary unit of the United Kingdom, formerly equal to 20 shillings or 240 pence: equal to 100 new pence. Abbr.: L;
Symbol: £ [countable]He paid several million pounds for that mansion.[uncountable;
the + ~]The pound was up today in early trading on the London market.[countable;
singular;
after a number and before a noun]a counterfeit five-pound note.
- Currency[countable] the basic monetary unit of various other countries, as Cyprus, Egypt, Ireland, etc.
pound3 /paʊnd/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
- a place kept by public authorities for sheltering stray animals.
- Transporta place where illegally parked vehicles are taken and held until a fine is paid.
-pound-, root. - -pound- comes from French and ultimately from Latin, where it has the meaning "put;
place.'' It is related to the root -pon-. This meaning is found in such words as: compound, expound, impound, propound.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026pound1
(pound),USA pronunciation v.t.
- 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 fol. by out):to pound out a tune on the piano.
- to force (a way) by battering;
batter (often fol. by down):He pounded his way through the mob. He pounded the door down.
- to crush into a powder or paste by beating repeatedly.
v.i. - 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.
n. - the act of pounding.
- a heavy or forcible blow.
- a thump.
- bef. 1000; Middle English pounen, Old English pūnian; akin to Dutch puin rubbish
- Weights and Measuresa unit of weight and of mass, varying in different periods and countries.
- Weights and Measures
- (in English-speaking countries) an avoirdupois unit of weight equal to 7000 grains, divided into 16 ounces (0.453 kg), used for ordinary commerce. Abbr.: 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 kg), used for gold, silver, and other precious metals. Abbr.: lb. t.
- (in the U.S.) an apothecaries' unit of weight equal to 5760 grains, divided into 12 ounces (0.373 kg). Abbr.: lb. ap.
- CurrencyAlso 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. Abbr.: L;
Symbol: £
- CurrencyAlso 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.
- Currencyany of the monetary units of various countries, as Cyprus, Egypt, Ireland, Lebanon, Sudan, Syria, and of certain Commonwealth of Nations countries.
- Currency(formerly) the Turkish lira.
- Currencya former monetary unit of Israel, Libya, and Nigeria.
- Radio and Television, Show Business pounds, [CB Slang.]a meter reading in units of five decibels: used as a measure of loudness for incoming signals.
- bef. 900; Middle English; Old English pund (cognate with Dutch pond, German Pfund, Gothic, Old Norse pund)
- an enclosure maintained by public authorities for confining stray or homeless animals.
- Animal Husbandryan enclosure for sheltering, keeping, confining, or trapping animals.
- an enclosure or trap for fish.
- a place of confinement or imprisonment.
- Transporta place or area where cars or other vehicles are impounded, as those towed away for being illegally parked.
- Civil Engineeringreach (def. 26).
v.t. - [Archaic.]to shut up in or as in a pound;
impound;
imprison.
- 1350–1400; Middle English poond; compare late Old English pund- in pundfald pinfold; akin to pond
- Biographical Louise, 1872–1958, U.S. scholar and linguist.
- Biographicalher brother, Roscoe, 1870–1964, U.S. legal scholar and writer.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
pound /paʊnd/ vb - when intr, often followed by on or at: to strike heavily and often
- (transitive) to beat to a pulp; pulverize
- (transitive) to instil by constant drilling: to pound Latin into him
- (transitive) followed by out: to produce, as by typing heavily
- to walk (the pavement, street, etc) repeatedly: he pounded the pavement looking for a job
- (intransitive) to throb heavily
n - a heavy blow; thump
- the act of pounding
Etymology: Old English pūnian; related to Dutch puin rubbleˈpounder n pound /paʊnd/ n - 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 fish
vb - (transitive) to confine in or as if in a pound; impound, imprison, or restrain
Etymology: 14th Century: from Late Old English pund- as in pundfeald pinfold pound /paʊnd/ n - 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 kilograms
- the standard monetary unit of the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, and various UK overseas territories, divided into 100 pence
- (as modifier): a pound coin
- (the standard monetary unit of the following countries)
- Cyprus (formerly): divided into 100 cents
- Egypt: divided into 100 piastres
- Sudan: divided into 100 piastres
- South Sudan: divided into 100 piastres
- Syria: divided into 100 piastres
- Also called: pound Scots a former Scottish monetary unit originally worth an English pound but later declining in value to 1 shilling 8 pence
- Also called: punt the former standard monetary unit of the Republic of Ireland, divided into 100 pence; replaced by the euro in 2002
Etymology: Old English pund, from Latin pondō pound; related to German Pfund pound, Latin pondus weight
'pounding' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
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