impound JUST WRITTEN FOR YOU
/ˈɪmpaʊ̯nd/ · im·pound
noun
- A place where seized property, especially stray animals or vehicles, is kept. The police towed the car to the impound until the owner paid the fine.
- The condition of being held in such a place; the state of being impounded. After the illegal parking, the vehicle remained in impound for three days.
- Anything that has been seized and stored by an authority. The impound included several abandoned bicycles and a broken motorcycle.
verb
- To seize and confine (something, especially a vehicle or animal) in a pound or similar enclosure. The city impounded his car after he parked in a fire lane.
- To hold back or restrain, as water, by a dam or barrier. The dam impounds water to create a reservoir for irrigation.
- To take legal custody of (a document, animal, or property) for safekeeping or as evidence. The court ordered the clerk to impound the disputed deed until the trial.
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Antonyms
Did you know? The term ‘impound’ originally referred to the animal pound where stray livestock were kept, and today many U.S. municipalities still operate vehicle impound lots under that historic name.