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
Dina Kraft, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Feb. 2025
Griner, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, became an unwitting pawn in Russia’s growing hostility to the United States when she was arrested in that country on drug smuggling charges in February 2022, just ahead of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2025
Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 2 Jan. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for pawn
Noun
Stop supporting and enabling Hamas, which has made your lives miserable and uses you as pawns.
—Dina Kraft, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Feb. 2025
Griner, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, became an unwitting pawn in Russia’s growing hostility to the United States when she was arrested in that country on drug smuggling charges in February 2022, just ahead of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2025
Verb
The family found the jewelry at a local pawn shop, where an employee of Maple Ridge Memory Care in Essex Junction had pawned it off, according to the state Attorney General’s Office.
—Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 2 Jan. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for pawn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pawn
Verb
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The synthetic, dual-fiber bristles (a mixture of fine and thick in density) pick up just the right amount of product to deliver streak-free full application without absorbing too much product or depositing it unevenly onto skin.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
28 Mar. 2025
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Perhaps most disturbingly, the researchers detected a needle-like structure that the parasitic wasps might have used to deposit their eggs in or on their prey.—
Sara Hashemi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Conversely, Soto was like the guy who hocks his wedding ring before the separation agreement is signed.—
Greg Marotta,
New York Daily News,
26 Mar. 2025
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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
Verb
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Rather than mortgaging the farm system for a name like Cease or Castillo, acquiring Fedde would be safer, albeit a much lower reward, for Cleveland.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Feb. 2025
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Enacting real property rights in space would create a marketplace for buying, selling, renting and mortgaging property.—
Wayne N White Jr,
The Conversation,
31 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pawn. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.
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