pawn
1to deposit as security, as for money borrowed, especially with a pawnbroker: He raised the money by pawning his watch.
the state of being deposited or held as security, especially with or by a pawnbroker: jewels in pawn.
something given or deposited as security, as for money borrowed.
a person serving as security; hostage.
the act of pawning.
Origin of pawn
1Other words for pawn
Other words from pawn
- pawn·a·ble, adjective
- pawn·er [paw-ner], /ˈpɔ nər/, paw·nor [paw-ner, -nawr], /ˈpɔ nər, -nɔr/, noun
- un·pawned, adjective
Words Nearby pawn
Other definitions for pawn (2 of 2)
Chess. one of eight men of one color and of the lowest value, usually moved one square at a time vertically and capturing diagonally.
someone who is used or manipulated to further another person's purposes.
Origin of pawn
2Other words for pawn
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use pawn in a sentence
He is a possible solution to the Nationals’ need for middle-of-the-order offense — and not just another pawn in Pittsburgh’s low-cost rebuild.
In Josh Bell, the Nationals added a big bat. Now Mike Rizzo might search for another. | Jesse Dougherty | December 26, 2020 | Washington PostMany pawn businesses are multigenerational not only in ownership but in customers.
It’s easy to assume pawnshops are doing great in the pandemic. It’s also wrong. | Emily Stewart | November 30, 2020 | VoxPerry Lewin has been in the pawn industry for 28 years, but he’s never quite seen a year like this one.
It’s easy to assume pawnshops are doing great in the pandemic. It’s also wrong. | Emily Stewart | November 30, 2020 | VoxContinuing to prop him up in the media as a political pawn leaves them unable to do so.
David Dorn’s Daughters Rebuke Politicizing Of Father’s Death At RNC | Hope Wright | August 28, 2020 | Essence.comSome scientists fear that the vaccine could become a pawn in American election politics and have cautioned against distributing an untested injection.
Russia says it has a covid vaccine called “Sputnik-V” | Antonio Regalado | August 11, 2020 | MIT Technology Review
They were getting more imaginative,” a pawn shop owner thinks of his addict customers in “Back of Beyond.
“Congo was clearly just a pawn in the global chessboard of West vs. East,” Holm says.
‘Argo’ in the Congo: The Ghosts of the Stanleyville Hostage Crisis | Nina Strochlic | November 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBarely Legal pawn stars the duo as unscrupulous, possibly deranged pawnshop employees.
Shark-Eating Monsters, the Kid Emmys, and More Viral Videos | The Daily Beast Video | August 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWith Suzanne, Vee saw someone who could be a pawn in her chess game.
‘Orange Is the New Black’ Star Uzo Aduba on Her Journey From Track Phenom to Crazy Eyes | Marlow Stern | June 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTYet, she is still very much a pawn in the system—her body is actively sold to the highest bidder.
The Abused Wives of Westeros: A Song of Feminism in ‘Game of Thrones’ | Amy Zimmerman | April 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTShe never dreamed that she herself was a pawn in the game that was intended to bring Nana Sahib to Delhi.
The Red Year | Louis TracyRat this pawn of the Eye may have been, but even a cornered rat will fight with the courage of a lion.
Afterwards she married one of the most noted scamps in Paris, who wanted a pretty wife as a pawn in some game of his.
The Weight of the Crown | Fred M. WhiteTo be checkmated by an 'errant' pawn in the very middle of the board is a most ignominious way of losing the game.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems | Geoffrey ChaucerIn default of the usual bazaars OLeary had returned with the spoils of half a dozen pawn-shops.
The Woman Gives | Owen Johnson
British Dictionary definitions for pawn (1 of 2)
/ (pɔːn) /
to deposit (an article) as security for the repayment of a loan, esp from a pawnbroker
to stake: to pawn one's honour
an article deposited as security
the condition of being so deposited (esp in the phrase in pawn)
a person or thing that is held as a security, esp a hostage
the act of pawning
Origin of pawn
1Derived forms of pawn
- pawnage, noun
British Dictionary definitions for pawn (2 of 2)
/ (pɔːn) /
a chessman of the lowest theoretical value, limited to forward moves of one square at a time with the option of two squares on its initial move: it captures with a diagonal move only: Abbreviation: P Compare piece (def. 12)
a person, group, etc, manipulated by another
Origin of pawn
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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