# pound

/ˈpaʊnd/ (US) · /pˈaʊnd/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/pound
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. currency

noun · CEFR A1 · British English

the unit of money used in the UK and some other countries.

For teachers: the basic monetary unit of the United Kingdom and several other nations, subdivided into 100 pence.

- The sandwich cost five pounds, which seemed expensive for a small café.
- The value of the pound fluctuated significantly against the dollar following the central bank's announcement regarding interest rates.

### 2. unit of weight

noun · CEFR A2 · American English

a unit for measuring how heavy something is, equal to about 0.45 kilograms.

For teachers: a unit of mass or weight in the imperial system, equivalent to 16 ounces or approximately 0.453 kilograms.

- I bought two pounds of apples to make a large pie for the party.
- The recipe requires three pounds of flour, though professional bakers often prefer to measure by grams for better precision.

### 3. animal/vehicle shelter

noun · CEFR B1

a place where lost animals or illegally parked cars are taken and kept.

For teachers: a public enclosure for the detention of stray animals or confiscated vehicles.

- The police towed his car to the pound because it was blocking the driveway.
- The local dog pound was overcrowded after the holidays, prompting a city-wide appeal for temporary foster homes.

### 4. the # symbol

noun · CEFR B1 · American English

the symbol #, often found on a phone or computer keyboard.

For teachers: the character #, used in computing and telecommunications.

- Please enter your passcode followed by the pound key.
- In American English, the symbol is typically called the pound sign, whereas British speakers almost exclusively refer to it as a hash.

### 5. to hit hard

verb · CEFR B1

to hit something many times with a lot of force.

For teachers: to strike repeatedly with heavy blows; to pulverise or crush by beating.

- He had to pound on the door for several minutes before anyone heard him.
- The waves continued to pound the shoreline, slowly eroding the cliffs and threatening the foundations of the coastal cottages.

### 6. heart beating

verb · CEFR B2

when your heart beats very quickly and loudly because you are excited or scared.

For teachers: to throb or beat with abnormal force or rapidity, typically due to exertion or strong emotion.

- Her heart began to pound as she walked onto the stage to give her speech.
- Adrenaline caused his heart to pound against his ribs, making it difficult to maintain the steady breathing required for the competition.

### 7. to eat/drink quickly

verb · CEFR C1 · Informal · Slang

to eat or drink something very fast.

For teachers: to consume food or beverages rapidly and in large quantities.

- He was so thirsty that he pounded a whole bottle of water in seconds.
- After the hike, the group went to the diner and pounded several burgers before the waiter could even bring the check.

### 8. sexual act

verb · CEFR C2 · Slang · Vulgar

a very informal and rude way to describe having sex.

For teachers: to engage in vigorous sexual intercourse. Transitive use.

- The movie was full of crude jokes about guys wanting to pound their dates.
- The dialogue in the underground comic was intentionally provocative, frequently using terms like pound to shock the reader.

Usage: Always used as a transitive verb in this sense.

## Examples

- The coffee costs three pounds.
- The recipe requires one pound of flour and two large eggs to make the dough.
- Fluctuations in the value of the pound against the dollar can significantly impact the cost of imported goods for small businesses across the country.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.