Pawn Definition

pôn
pawned, pawning, pawns
noun
pawns
Anything given as security, as for a debt, performance of an action, etc.; pledge; guaranty.
Webster's New World
The condition of being held as a pledge against the payment of a loan.
Jewels in pawn.
American Heritage
A hostage.
Webster's New World
The state of being pledged.
To put a ring in pawn.
Webster's New World
The act of pawning.
Webster's New World
verb
pawned, pawning, pawns
To give as security; put in pawn.
Webster's New World
To stake, wager, or risk.
To pawn one's honor.
Webster's New World
An item of personal property given to secure a monetary loan; something held as security against a monetary loan. To borrow money against a piece of personal property that is held by the lender as security.
Webster's New World Law
(video games) To render one's opponent a mere pawn, especially in a real-time strategy games.
Wiktionary
idiom
pawn off
Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Pawn

Noun

Singular:
pawn
Plural:
pawns

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Pawn

Origin of Pawn

  • Middle English from Old French pedon, paon from Medieval Latin pedō pedōn- foot soldier from Late Latin one who has broad, splayed feet from Latin pēs ped- foot ped- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From Anglo-Norman paun, poun (= Old French poon, paon), from Late Latin pedō(nem) (“footsoldier"), from Latin pÄ“s, ped- (“foot").

    From Wiktionary

  • From Middle French pan (“pledge, security"), apparently from a Germanic language (compare Middle Dutch pant, Old High German pfant).

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English paun from Old French pan perhaps of Germanic origin Old High German pfant

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

Find Similar Words

Find similar words to pawn using the buttons below.

Words Starting With

Words Ending With

Unscrambles

pawn