verb
pawn
PAWN
verb
1
To leave an item with a pawnbroker as security in exchange for money.
"He pawned his watch to cover the rent."
noun
1
The least valuable chess piece, which moves forward and captures diagonally.
"She sacrificed a pawn to open up an attack on the king."
2
A person being used or manipulated by someone more powerful, for their own ends.
"The intern felt like a pawn in the executives' office politics."
How to Use Pawn
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo trade an item for cash as security on a loan; or, in chess, the weakest piece; or, figuratively, someone being used by others.
Common mistake
Don't confuse with "porn" or "pawn" as a homophone of "paw" plus "n" — it's unrelated to paws.
Common pairings
pawn a ring
a pawn shop
a pawn in someone's game
Word Forms
pawned past tense, pawns plural, pawns plural, pawns plural, pawns singular
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “pawn”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
He _____ his watch to cover the rent.
Etymology
From Old French pan ("pledge for payment"), likely from a Germanic word for "deposit" or "security."