as in tool
one that is or can be used to further the purposes of another
though he liked to play up his influence with city hall, he was really just another pawn of the political bosses
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in pledge
something given or held to assure that the giver will keep a promise
offered her license as a pawn that she would bring back the rental canoe
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in to deposit
to leave as a guarantee of repayment of a loan
he pawned his antique watch in order to pay off his gambling debt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pawn
Kat Tretina, Sacramento Bee, 26 Feb. 2025
Dustin Meighan, 38, a surveyor, looks at Mr. Adams and sees a pawn of President Trump.
—Andy Newman, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2025
Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2024
To the show’s not-really-defense, it’s never taken a strong stance on Jimmy’s new approach, which followed a year of catatonia, debauchery and pawning his teenage daughter Alice (Lukita Maxwell) off on their neighbor Liz (Christa Miller) to surrogate parent.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 16 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for pawn
Noun
Businesses that will accept these and other gold assets include online gold dealers or in-person coin collectors and pawn shops.
2.
—Kat Tretina, Sacramento Bee, 26 Feb. 2025
Dustin Meighan, 38, a surveyor, looks at Mr. Adams and sees a pawn of President Trump.
—Andy Newman, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2025
Verb
Here, Morgan Murphy simply ignores the talk-show question she’s asked and chooses instead to try to pawn a used desk of hers off on someone in the audience.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2024
To the show’s not-really-defense, it’s never taken a strong stance on Jimmy’s new approach, which followed a year of catatonia, debauchery and pawning his teenage daughter Alice (Lukita Maxwell) off on their neighbor Liz (Christa Miller) to surrogate parent.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 16 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for pawn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pawn
Verb
-
The very first records deposited there came from three World War I-era regulatory agencies – the U.S. Food Administration, the Sugar Equalization Board and the U.S. Grain Corporation.—
Elizabeth Call,
The Conversation,
19 Mar. 2025
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The agency will train employees over the next two weeks before implementing the new measures, SSA said on Tuesday, mentioning that once enrolled, applicants will be able to have funds deposited in one business day, down from the previous 30 days.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
19 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Bandcamp’s cut is 15% on digital sales and 10% when hocking physical stuff (t-shirts, vinyl, CDs, cassettes, etc).—
SPIN Staff,
SPIN,
9 Jan. 2025
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Despite the league’s highest payroll and having already hocked any draft pick that wasn’t nailed down (some of them more than once), the Suns fell 15-18 on the season.—
John Hollinger,
The Athletic,
6 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Rose has mortgaged her house and slapped down $25,000 Euros to be treated at a clinic run by Dr. Gomez (Vincent Perez), whose methods lean more into analysis than medicine.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
14 Feb. 2025
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And if the answer to all of those questions is no, then what is next for a franchise that mortgaged its future for a squad that hasn’t climbed past the middle?—
Fred Katz,
The Athletic,
21 Jan. 2025
Articles Related to pawn
Cite this Entry
“Pawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pawn. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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