impound
part of speech
verb (impound, impounds, impounded, impounding)
meaning for a pupil
1) (law) To impound means for the police or officials to take something away and keep it until rules are followed, such as a car, a dog or goods. tree →
2) To impound water means to hold it back behind a dam or wall, making a reservoir. tree →
sense in the lessons
In everyday life, a car parked illegally may be impounded and taken to a pound; the owner pays a fine to get it back. Stray animals can be impounded by the council. In geography, a dam impounds a river to make a lake. Phrases: car impound, impounded vehicle, impound lot (US).
examples
- The police impounded the car because it had no insurance. tree →
- The stray dog was impounded until its owner came. tree →
- Customs officers impounded the fake trainers. tree →
- The dam impounds the river to make a reservoir. tree →
- Dad had to pay a fine to get the car back from the impound. tree →
- The ship was impounded at the port. tree →
note
Regular verb. Related to «pound», a place where stray animals or towed cars are kept. Formal or legal; everyday words are «take away» or «seize».
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «impound» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.