the basic unit of money in Great Britain and Northern Ireland; equal to 100 pence
"I need to save up another pound before I can buy that new game for my nephew."
a unit of apothecary weight equal to 12 ounces troy
"The ancient recipe called for exactly one pound of pure mercury, a precise measure by old apothecaries' standards."
the basic unit of money in Syria; equal to 100 piasters
"After visiting the market, I realized my budget wasn't enough because prices there are quoted in pounds rather than dollars."
the basic unit of money in the Sudan; equal to 100 piasters
"After the currency reform, he exchanged his old notes for pounds at the bank since each pound was now worth exactly one hundred piasters."
the basic unit of money in Lebanon; equal to 100 piasters
"After checking my wallet, I realized I only had enough Lebanese pounds to buy a single cup of coffee."
formerly the basic unit of money in Ireland; equal to 100 pence
"After visiting Dublin, I tried to exchange my pounds at the airport before returning them to pence for local spending."
the basic unit of money in Egypt; equal to 100 piasters
"During my trip to Cairo, I had to count out exactly five pounds for the taxi fare since that was the local currency."
the basic unit of money in Cyprus; equal to 100 cents
"She calculated that her holiday savings would finally reach a full pound when she added up all her weekly earnings."
United States writer who lived in Europe; strongly influenced the development of modern literature (1885-1972)
"The professor assigned us to read T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land because he is the definitive example of a Pound, having shaped modern English poetry while living abroad for decades."
a symbol for a unit of currency (especially for the pound sterling in Great Britain)
"He carefully counted the notes and coins to ensure there was enough money to pay the £50 rent."
A unit of mass equal to 16 avoirdupois ounces (= 453.592 37 g). Today this value is the most common meaning of "pound" as a unit of weight.
"The boxer delivered a thunderous pound to his opponent's jaw that knocked him off balance immediately."
A place for the detention of stray or wandering animals.
A hard blow.
In plain English: A pound is a unit of weight used to measure how heavy something is.
"She dropped the heavy package with a loud pound on the floor."
Usage: Do not confuse the weight unit with a physical strike; use this term only when describing a single forceful hit or impact. It is incorrect to say you have two pounds of force if you mean two strikes.
To confine in, or as in, a pound; to impound.
"The boxer raised his fists and began to pound the heavy bag in rhythm."
To strike hard, usually repeatedly.
In plain English: To pound something means to hit it hard and repeatedly with your hand or another object.
"The hammer pounded against the nail until it was secure."
Usage: Use "pound" as a verb to describe hitting something with significant force or striking it repeatedly, such as pounding nails into wood or pounding on a door. Avoid using it for light taps or gentle touches, which should instead be described with words like tap or knock.
A surname.
"My neighbor, Mr. Pound, always greets me with a cheerful wave when I walk by his house."
The word "pound" comes from the Old English pund, which was borrowed from Latin pondus meaning "weight." It originally referred to a unit of weight before evolving into its modern meanings.