pounce

1 of 5

noun (1)

: the claw of a bird of prey

pounce

2 of 5

verb (1)

pounced; pouncing

intransitive verb

1
a
: to swoop upon and seize something with or as if with talons
b
: to seize upon and make capital of something (such as another's blunder or an opportunity)
2
: to make a sudden assault or approach

pounce

3 of 5

noun (2)

: the act of pouncing

pounce

4 of 5

verb (2)

pounced; pouncing

transitive verb

: to dust, rub, finish, or stencil with pounce

pounce

5 of 5

noun (3)

1
: a fine powder formerly used to prevent ink from spreading
2
: a fine powder for making stenciled patterns

Examples of pounce in a Sentence

Verb (1) the muggers pounced on the unsuspecting tourists as soon as they rounded the corner
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Verb
Nolen seems to pounce on ball carriers as much as tackle them. Matt Barrows, The Athletic, 16 Jan. 2025 Pavel Zacha pounced on the loose puck and dished it over to David Pastrnak for his 20th of the year to put the B’s up 3-0. Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 15 Jan. 2025
Noun
When that happens, Sterling pounces… … and because Bergvall is distant from the action and marked by Rice, Odegaard can move towards Gray and leave Bissouma for Partey. Ahmed Walid, The Athletic, 16 Jan. 2025 More:Harris breaks with Biden over 'garbage' comment about Trump's supporters after reluctance to distance herself More:Trump pounces on Biden's 'garbage' comment. Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 1 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for pounce 

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, punching tool, dagger, talon — more at punch

Verb (2)

Middle French poncer, from ponce

Noun (3)

French ponce pumice, from Middle French, from Late Latin pomic-, pomex, alteration of Latin pumic-, pumex — more at foam

First Known Use

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (1)

1648, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

1841, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1535, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1705, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pounce was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near pounce

Cite this Entry

“Pounce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pounce. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

pounce

verb
ˈpau̇n(t)s
pounced; pouncing
1
: to swoop down on and seize something
a cat waiting to pounce
2
: to make a sudden assault or approach
a clerk pounced on me immediately
pounce noun

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