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
Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
The wooden board is fabricated from curly maple and the knights, pawns, bishops and queens — all positioned as if a game has begun — are made of ceramics.
—Ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post, 23 Mar. 2026
Itzel Franco, CNBC, 30 Jan. 2026
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents reportedly stole a teenage boy’s phone — and then seemingly pawned it afterwards for cash.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 14 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pawn
Noun
Our job is to educate those people about how they’re being pushed around like pawns.
—Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
The wooden board is fabricated from curly maple and the knights, pawns, bishops and queens — all positioned as if a game has begun — are made of ceramics.
—Ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post, 23 Mar. 2026
Verb
In fact, jewelry remains the most frequently sold and pawned categories, according to a Canaccord survey of several EZCorp and FirstCash locations.
—Itzel Franco, CNBC, 30 Jan. 2026
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents reportedly stole a teenage boy’s phone — and then seemingly pawned it afterwards for cash.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 14 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pawn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pawn
Verb
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SimpleImages / Getty Images In a conventional savings or investing climate, depositing a large sum into a long-term certificate of deposit (CD) isn't often the best choice for savers.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
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Lawn mowing season is coming, which means that trash that is not picked up and plastic netting will be cut into smaller plastic pieces to be deposited in Naperville soil for thousands of years.—
Naperville Sun,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The page gave a deep snort, hocking a chartreuse wad against the root of the nightingale’s birch.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
19 Nov. 2025
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Shein is far from the first online retailer to run into trouble with third-party vendors hocking controversial wares or flouting policy standards.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Here’s how the road less traveled can lead you to long-term success, while your peers’ shortcuts mortgage their long-term futures.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
25 Mar. 2026
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Oklahoma Education Association President Cari Elledge equated the plan to mortgaging a teacher’s future for a salary increase today.—
Nuria Martinez-Keel,
Oklahoma Voice,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pawn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pawn. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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