POUNDS Synonyms: 315 Similar and Opposite Words

pounds 1 of 3

noun (1)

plural of pound

as in punches

a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument give the nail a final pound with the hammer

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

pounds

2 of 3

noun (2)

plural of pound

as in cages

an enclosure with an open framework for keeping animals stray dogs wearing tags are kept in that pound until their owners can be notified

Synonyms & Similar Words

pounds

3 of 3

verb

present tense third-person singular of pound

as in shuffles

to move heavily or clumsily pounding down the road as fast as he could run

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in hits

to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner pounding nails into boards all day long

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in licks

to strike repeatedly during the storm the waves furiously pounded the beach

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in draws

to shape with a hammer pounding out a depression in the metal

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in grinds

to reduce to fine particles the tablet may be pounded and mixed in with the animal's food

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 pounds

Noun

The design could eventually scale up to a high altitude platform system (HAPS) capable of lifting payloads as heavy as 551 pounds (250 kilograms). — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026 In the end, Mamut’s fund bought Waterstones for fifty-three million pounds. — Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026 At the time, RTCM said the deal would expand its capacity and support a goal of diverting 100 million pounds of textiles from landfills annually. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026 Micro roasters are those producing less than 100,000 pounds of beans per year, and macro roasters are those that produce above that. — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 19 Oct. 2026 Bags of wet leaves can weigh up to 15 pounds heavier on average. — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 18 Oct. 2026 Its operating empty weight stands at approximately 88,252 pounds. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026 The winning pumpkin, grown by a couple from Lowville, New York, broke the world record at the time at a whopping 1,061 pounds. — Sophie Caldwell, CNBC, 17 Oct. 2026 The character was modeled after Mike Tyson; and to get into fighting shape, 50 trained three hours a day for nine weeks, dropping from 238 pounds to 200 pounds. — Marlow Stern, Variety, 17 Oct. 2026

Verb

Higher prices come as Ukraine pounds Russian refineries, forcing Moscow to ban diesel exports. — Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2026 Part of the problem is that every summer, water pounds down on sidewalks in the Treasure Valley, drops rippling on glassy reflective surfaces, all because of sprinkler jets overshooting the grass and landing on pavement. — Idaho Statesman, 23 Aug. 2026 Ukraine pounds Russia with long-range strikes At the same time, Ukraine has shifted the war onto Russian soil through long-range drone strikes on oil facilities that have caused fuel shortages across Russia. — Volodymyr Yurchuk, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026 The first murder is a girl slicing into her slumbering mother’s neck with a hacksaw; then her brother pounds his father’s face in with a baseball bat. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 4 Aug. 2026 Back from a hamstring injury, Teoscar Hernández rejoins a relentless Dodgers offense that pounds 17 hits and three homers in a 9-4 win over the Athletics. — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026 Teams go bonkers when the player pounds their school name on the bracket. — John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 June 2026 Rain pounds down in a stinging curtain. — Kansas City Star, 22 May 2026 Her silver nail polish—reminiscent of the shade worn by Lou Reed (from one New York legend to another) in footage shown during Todd Haynes’s documentary The Velvet Underground—sparkles as Gaga pounds the keys of her piano throughout the film. — Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 15 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pounds

Noun

The farm offers a punch card to residents for $18 and is good for up to 14 punches or around 21 bags of debris.

— Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 18 Oct. 2026
Hadribeaj attacked the body early, crouching beneath Fundora’s punches and landing looping shots over the top.

— ABC News, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of punches

Noun

The objects’ sculptural cages add another layer to the work, connecting them to ideas of protection and exclusion.

— Jade Wilson, ARTnews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Experts told the Herald that the use of such cages as punishment could violate international laws against torture and degrading treatment.

— Claire Healy, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of cages

Verb

That glib self-confidence is present in McNamara, who licks the doughnut glaze off his fingers before offering his hand to the female detective questioning the one living Jason.

— Scott Tobias, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
Later, a woman protractedly licks blue ice cream from a cone, her attempts thwarted by ferocious gusts of wind and sand.

— Matilda Hague, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of licks

Verb

For anyone who grinds fresh every morning and chases single-origin lots, online talk about mold and mycotoxins in coffee tends to raise a practical question about how the stuff gets onto beans in the first place.

— Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026
The annual College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), the country’s most important academic event, grinds the nation to almost a halt to ensure the smooth administration of the exam.

— Lim Hui Jie,Miko Jang, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026