pound

Universal Words noun, verb noun money 1 [C] (also technical pound sterling) (Symbol ｣) the unit of money in Britain, 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? * Total losses were estimated at over three million pounds. seealsoSTERLING 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. * The pound fell sharply to a record low against the yen. * a run on the pound weight 4 [C] (abbreviation 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 motor 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 the full amount that sb owes you, even if this will cause them trouble or suffering: You're determined to have your pound of flesh, aren't you? ORIGIN From Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, in which the moneylender Shylock demanded a pound of flesh from Antonio's body if he could not pay back the money he borrowed. moreatPENNY, PREVENTION verb hit 1 ~ (away) (at / against / on sth) to hit sth/sb hard many times, especially in a way that makes a lot of noise: [V] Heavy rain pounded on the roof. * All she could hear was the sound of waves pounding against the cliffs. * Someone was pounding at the door. * The factory's machinery pounded away day and night. * [VN] She pounded him with her fists. 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] ~ 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] ~ (out) to be played loudly: Rock music was pounding out from the jukebox. PHRASALVERBS pound sth<->out to play music loudly on a musical instrument: Nobody pounds out a tune on the piano quite like her.