pawnshop

noun

pawn·​shop ˈpȯn-ˌshäp How to pronounce pawnshop (audio)
ˈpän-
: a pawnbroker's shop

Examples of pawnshop in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Once-thriving American factory towns sank into joblessness and despair, swapping restaurants and hardware stores for food banks and pawnshops. Peter S. Goodman, New York Times, 14 Nov. 2023 After that, the poor man gets by, barely, as a tinkerer with a pawnshop. Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 20 Nov. 2023 Lewisville police have identified two suspects who remain at large following the fatal shooting of a pawnshop owner on Valentine’s Day. From Staff Reports, Dallas News, 7 Mar. 2023 The only businesses doing well were pawnshops, residents said. Emily Wax-Thibodeaux, Washington Post, 15 Oct. 2023 Half of those who had purchased guns privately — somewhere other than a store or pawnshop — also said they were not screened. Glenn Thrush, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2023 These rules in many cities say precisely how many parking spots are needed per hundred square feet of pawnshop (different from the parking needed per hundred square feet of furniture store). Emily Badger, New York Times, 1 July 2023 When the end comes, families sometimes go to the most convenient source — a local comic book store, a pawnshop — and may only get a fraction of what their collections are worth. George Gene Gustines, New York Times, 30 July 2023 Grocery stores and pawnshops lined its streets, along with theaters, cafes and bars that spilled out jazz and blues. Dallasnews.com Staff, Dallas News, 15 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pawnshop.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1749, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pawnshop was in 1749

Dictionary Entries Near pawnshop

Cite this Entry

“Pawnshop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pawnshop. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pawnshop

noun
pawn·​shop ˈpȯn-ˌshäp How to pronounce pawnshop (audio)
ˈpän-
: a pawnbroker's shop

Legal Definition

pawnshop

noun
pawn·​shop
: a pawnbroker's shop

More from Merriam-Webster on pawnshop

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