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
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pawn
Tom Jurkowsky, Baltimore Sun, 11 Nov. 2024
The film stars the peerless Toshiro Mifune — wearing a huge, fluffy red wig, no less — as a samurai who becomes a pawn in a political power struggle when he’s sent to his hometown to announce the emperor’s latest tax cuts.
—Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Oct. 2024
Deon J. Hampton, NBC News, 13 July 2024
So, both of them are able to kind of pawn it off on each other or a problem off of any jurisdictional management or responsibility.
—Lucas E. Wright, USA TODAY, 29 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for pawn 
Noun
Our veterans should not be political pawns or used as bill-payers.
—Tom Jurkowsky, Baltimore Sun, 11 Nov. 2024
The film stars the peerless Toshiro Mifune — wearing a huge, fluffy red wig, no less — as a samurai who becomes a pawn in a political power struggle when he’s sent to his hometown to announce the emperor’s latest tax cuts.
—Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Oct. 2024
Verb
Gonzalez, along with her fiancé, Guy Vasquez, 56, pawned their diamond-cluster wedding bands this week just for gas money and food.
—Deon J. Hampton, NBC News, 13 July 2024
So, both of them are able to kind of pawn it off on each other or a problem off of any jurisdictional management or responsibility.
—Lucas E. Wright, USA TODAY, 29 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for pawn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pawn
Verb
-
Shanell Angelia West, 46, of Essex, admitted in October to stealing funds from licensees by altering checks payable to the state and depositing them into personal bank accounts, according to a news release.Glynis Kazanjian, Baltimore Sun, 17 Dec. 2024
-
First, depositing graphene requires high temperatures that are incompatible with traditional CMOS manufacturing.IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 11 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
If Emily can be in Paris and Rome, why can’t Robert be in Joshua Tree hocking ayahuasca?Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2024
-
Curtailing the items eligible could embolden Amazon ’s competitive online retail advantage — but also poses a risk to fellow portfolio stock Meta Platforms , which has benefited from the likes of Temu and Shein flooding social media with ads hocking their products.Paulina Likos, CNBC, 23 Sep. 2024
Verb
-
Plus, the Knicks’ draft cupboard is bare The Knicks mortgaged five first-round picks for Bridges, leaving their next potential first-rounder—a conditional pick from Washington—in doubt.Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 13 Dec. 2024
-
Speaking to parents of other childhood cancer patients, the senator heard poignant stories of families with no health care coverage, mortgaging their homes and going into debt because of the hand fate had dealt them.Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2024
Articles Related to pawn
Thesaurus Entries Near pawn
Cite this Entry
“Pawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pawn. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share