pound definition

1. 16 ounces avoirdupois
• examples: he got a hernia when he tried to lift 100 pounds
2. a unit of apothecary weight equal to 12 ounces troy
3. a nontechnical unit of force equal to the mass of 1 pound with an acceleration of free fall equal to 32 feet/sec/sec
4. United States writer who lived in Europe; strongly influenced the development of modern literature (1885-1972)
5. a symbol for a unit of currency (especially for the pound sterling in Great Britain)
6. a public enclosure for stray or unlicensed dogs
• examples: unlicensed dogs will be taken to the pound
7. partition off into compartments
• examples: The locks pound the water of the canal
8. shut up or confine in any enclosure or within any bounds or limits
• examples: The prisoners are safely pounded
9. break down and crush by beating, as with a pestle
• examples: pound the roots with a heavy flat stone