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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Each one of us is Franca curating a pawnshop of the mind. — Literary Hub, 20 May 2026 In this cozy fantasy, a young woman inherits an enchanted Tokyo pawnshop that appears to most people as a simple ramen restaurant. — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 23 May 2026 Banks are making the argument that such a plan would most hurt poor people, at a time of economic concern, by curtailing or eliminating credit lines, driving them to high-cost alternatives like payday loans or pawnshops. — Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 10 Jan. 2026 Zangara, who had purchased the pistol for $8 at a local pawnshop, mingled among a record crowd of 25,000 people who had come to catch a glimpse of the famed FDR. — Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pawnshop

Word History

Etymology

pawn entry 2 + shop entry 1

First Known Use

1749, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pawnshop was in 1749

Rhymes for pawnshop

See All Rhymes for pawnshop

Browse Nearby Words

pawn roller
pawnshop
pawn ticket
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pawnshop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pawnshop. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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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

Nglish: Translation of pawnshop for Spanish Speakers

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