pawn 1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈpȯn How to pronounce pawn (audio)
Definition of pawnnext
as in tool
one that is or can be used to further the purposes of another though he liked to play up his influence with city hall, he was really just another pawn of the political bosses

Synonyms & Similar Words

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pawn

2 of 3

noun (2)

as in pledge
something given or held to assure that the giver will keep a promise offered her license as a pawn that she would bring back the rental canoe

Synonyms & Similar Words

pawn

3 of 3

verb

as in to deposit
to leave as a guarantee of repayment of a loan he pawned his antique watch in order to pay off his gambling debt

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pawn
Noun
The process feels like a private atelier appointment rather than traditional banking or a pawn shop experience. — Tanya Akim, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026 Always sort through things that have been in storage for a while, and also scan through jewelry to look for maker’s marks and precious metal symbols to help identify pieces that are better suited for a pawn shop or estate sale. — Jennifer Prince, Southern Living, 15 July 2026
Verb
There were 46 items in the safe, some of which Kisakye allegedly pawned and sold to feed a substantial gambling habit. — Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 3 June 2026 If a helmet is too outdated for your family to use, don't pawn it off on someone else. — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 26 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pawn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pawn
  1. tool
  2. pledge
  3. deposit
  4. minion
  5. guarantee
  6. hock
  7. victim
  8. security
Noun
  • The New York Times has approved AI tools across its editorial and product teams and built an internal summarization tool called Echo, while barring staff from using AI to draft or substantially revise an article.
    — Jasmine Browley, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The team hired Moonshot to monitor online threats against its players – using tools that Moonshot developed a decade ago for national security purposes.
    — Odette Yousef, NPR, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of tool
Noun
  • The most concrete commitment on the table is a pledge that the combined company will release at least 30 films a year in theaters, which Paramount has offered to put in writing for AMC, Regal and now other chains, potentially backed by penalties.
    — Joseph M. Singer, HollywoodReporter, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The visiting leaders took to Kyiv pledges of further military and financial support.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of pledge
Verb
  • Suter said she and two other Parkview booster account signers whose names Suter would not share with CBS News Atlanta were authorized to deposit and withdraw funds — no pre-authorizations needed, no paperwork required.
    — Brian Unger, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Rather than dramatically changing your natural hair color, a gloss deposits tone onto the hair and can soften the appearance of gray while adding shine.
    — Casey DelBasso, ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of deposit
Noun
  • Just as Wolverine is surrounded, he’s saved by Mystique, who’s shape-shifted herself into one of Trask’s minions.
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026
  • One of Danhausen’s minions took out Mysterio with a flipping dive on the outside.
    — Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of minion
Noun
  • Along the way, the audience can expect tons of humiliation, terrible second prizes, and the guarantee that Robertson will turn at least one poor soul's wrong turn into several minutes of unhinged public destruction.
    — Rebecca Rosman, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Marley Spoon says its products are backed by a freshness and quality guarantee for four days after a subscription box arrives.
    — Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of guarantee
Verb
  • The page gave a deep snort, hocking a chartreuse wad against the root of the nightingale’s birch.
    — Hazlitt, Hazlitt, 19 Nov. 2025
  • Shein is far from the first online retailer to run into trouble with third-party vendors hocking controversial wares or flouting policy standards.
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025
Definition of hock
Noun
  • Homecoming aside, there’s still the Trawler to worry about, a fact we’re reminded of when another victim turns up on a playground, this time with a pentagram carved into his back and fish corpses shoved into his wounds.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026
  • After Bateman’s September 2022 arrest, his child victims were placed in protective custody.
    — Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of victim
Noun
  • But the war’s unintended consequences have spread far beyond the Middle East, affecting global security, diminishing America’s global standing, and potentially providing its adversaries with an opportunity to expand their influence.
    — Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
  • By 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea, Europe was deeply dependent for its security on the United States, which was already tied up in the Middle East and increasingly focused on China’s rising military power.
    — JENNIFER KAVANAGH, Foreign Affairs, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of security

Browse Nearby Words

pawky
pawn
pawned
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Cite this Entry

“Pawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pawn. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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