/ paʊnd; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
MONEY
1.
[ C ] (also technical ˌpound ˈsterling ) ( symb £ ) the unit of money in the UK, worth 100 pence :
a ten-pound note
a pound coin
I've spent £25 on food today.
What would you do if you won a million pounds?
—see also sterling
2.
[ C ] the unit of money of several other countries
3.
the pound [ sing. ] ( finance ) the value of the British pound compared with the value of the money of other countries :
the strength / weakness of the pound (against other currencies)
The pound closed slightly down at $1.534.
WEIGHT
4.
[ C ] ( abbr. lb ) a unit for measuring weight, equal to 0.454 of a kilogram :
half a pound of butter
They cost two dollars a pound .
I've lost six and a half pounds since I started my diet.
FOR CARS
5.
[ C ] a place where vehicles that have been parked illegally are kept until their owners pay to get them back
FOR DOGS
6.
[ C ] a place where dogs that have been found in the street without their owners are kept until their owners claim them
•
IDIOMS
- (have, get, want, etc.) your pound of flesh
—more at penny , prevention
■ verb
HIT
1.
pound (away) (at / against / on sth) to hit sth/sb hard many times, especially in a way that makes a lot of noise
SYN hammer :
[ v ]
Heavy rain pounded on the roof.
Someone was pounding at the door.
The factory's machinery pounded away day and night.
[ vn ]
She pounded him with her fists.
➡ note at beat
WALK NOISILY
2.
[ v + adv. / prep. ] to move with noisy steps :
She pounded along the corridor after him.
OF HEART / BLOOD
3.
[ v ] to beat quickly and loudly :
Her heart was pounding with excitement.
The blood was pounding (= making a beating noise) in his ears.
Her head began to pound.
a pounding headache
BREAK INTO PIECES
4.
[ vn ] pound sth (to / into sth) to hit sth many times in order to break it into smaller pieces :
The seeds were pounded to a fine powder.
ATTACK WITH BOMBS
5.
[ vn ] to attack an area with a large number of bombs over a period of time :
The area is still being pounded by rebel guns.
OF MUSIC
6.
[ v ] pound (out) to be played loudly :
Rock music was pounding out from the jukebox.
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- pound sth out
••
WORD ORIGIN
noun senses 1 to 4 Old English pund , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch pond and German Pfund , from Latin (libra) pondo , denoting a Roman “pound weight” of 12 ounces.
verb Old English pūnian ; related to Dutch puin , Low German pün (building) rubbish.
noun senses 5 to 6 late Middle English (earlier in compounds): of uncertain origin. Early use referred to an enclosure for the detention of stray or trespassing cattle.