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# impound

verb (impound, impounds, impounded, impounding)

«impound» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

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 →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/impound/#m1)
2. To impound water means to hold it back behind a dam or wall, making a reservoir. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/impound/#m2)

### 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 →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/impound/#x1)
- The stray dog was impounded until its owner came. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/impound/#x2)
- Customs officers impounded the fake trainers. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/impound/#x3)
- The dam impounds the river to make a reservoir. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/impound/#x4)
- Dad had to pay a fine to get the car back from the impound. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/impound/#x5)
- The ship was impounded at the port. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/impound/#x6)

### 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».

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «impound» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/impound/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«impound» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/impound.html) on Mova free.