impound

verb
UK: /ɪmˈpaʊnd/
US: /ɪmˈpaʊnd/

  1. To take legal possession of something, especially a vehicle, because a law has been broken.

    1. The police will impound your car if you don't pay the fine quickly.
    2. If you park illegally here, the authorities might impound your vehicle and charge a fee.

  2. To confine or shut up an animal in a pound or enclosure.

    1. Stray dogs are often impounded until their owners claim them.
    2. The farmer had to impound the neighbor's cattle after they wandered onto his land.

  3. To seize and retain in legal custody.

    1. Customs officials can impound goods that are illegally imported.
    2. The court can impound documents if they are considered relevant to the ongoing investigation.

Synonyms

confiscate seize detain capture enclose confine

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "impound" in English means: To take legal possession of something, especially a vehicle, because a law has been broken., To confine or shut up an animal in a pound or enclosure., To seize and retain in legal custody..

The phonetic transcription of "impound" is /ɪmˈpaʊnd/ in British English and /ɪmˈpaʊnd/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "impound": confiscate, seize, detain, capture, enclose, confine.

Example usage of "impound": "The police will impound your car if you don't pay the fine quickly.". More examples on the page.