How to Use pounce in a Sentence

pounce

1 of 2 noun
  • But Carol finds her courage and pounces on his face.
    — Ali Barthwell, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2025
  • And then, Brantley says, Tim would grab his probe and pounce.
    — National Geographic, 10 Nov. 2020
  • The players have been patient, and Guerin has been just waiting to pounce.
    — Michael Russo, New York Times, 1 Jan. 2026
  • This would explain why the direction of the pounce matters most when the prey is hidden.
    — Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 11 Jan. 2011
  • The natural catnip inside will entice your cat to play and pounce.
    — Kristi Arnold, Rolling Stone, 5 Dec. 2023
  • Excellent tackler who will come at the ball carrier hard and pounce.
    — USA TODAY, 28 Apr. 2021
  • The schedule is on the softer side after that so pounce if this defense becomes available over the next few weeks.
    — Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Sep. 2023
  • The boy, who has not been publicly identified, is dragged by the pack for several feet, writhing in pain as the strays pounce.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN, 1 Apr. 2023
  • The bear repeated the raking pounce a little higher up Duane’s back.
    — Marguerite Reiss, Outdoor Life, 9 Oct. 2025
  • The Bronco allows the V-6 to build very little boost with brake torquing, which mutes its off-the-line pounce.
    — Connor Hoffman, Car and Driver, 23 July 2021
  • The spinning ball zooms around a circular track so your cat can watch, prep and pounce, feeding their natural hunting instinct.
    — Christine Persaud, USA Today, 8 Oct. 2025
  • So study and prepare for all possibilities, then pounce when optimal.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 21 July 2022
  • Seconds later, the recording shows the mountain lion pounce from behind and wrest Piper backward.
    — Susanne Ruststaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2022
  • His teams like to control the ball and build up with plenty of passes, while ensuring they are set up to pounce on the counter-press and win the ball back high up the pitch.
    — Dan Sheldon, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
  • Ideal for felines that love to swat and pounce, this toy features three levels of tracks and three moving balls, which roll around and help draw a pet's attention.
    — Shayna Murphy, USA TODAY, 9 Dec. 2020
  • Watched Colorado pounce early and lead wire to wire, to a game dominated by the Wild from the opening faceoff.
    — Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 13 May 2026
  • Observers see flagging user numbers or feel an amorphous, grim vibe shift and pounce, often prematurely.
    — Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 27 Oct. 2022
  • In a race with early speed this horse that too has flashed both early and late speed, under the expert guidance of Rispoli, could sit off the pace and pounce late for the win.
    — John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2021
  • Excellent vision, courtesy of eight eyes, allows the spider to target prey and then pounce; a piece of silk fastened to the launch point serves as a safety line.
    — Discover Magazine, 31 July 2011
  • Henderson was in the perfect position to pounce as the Sparks were beginning a five-game homestand.
    — Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2023
  • Rather than running after their meals, however, leopards sneak towards prey and pounce, ambushing them from the treetops or other hideouts.
    — Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 26 Sep. 2023
  • MacNamara's daughter, Rylee, stepped outside to wait for the bus to take her to school when footage shows a raccoon on the porch pounce and grab onto her leg.
    — Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY, 6 Dec. 2022
  • That's because their play sessions are not run and fetch but stalk, hunt and pounce – hunting behaviors hardwired into their DNA.
    — Cathy M. Rosenthal, San Antonio Express-News, 15 Dec. 2022
  • According to footage obtained by United Daily News, the snow leopard appeared to pounce and bite the victim.
    — Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 26 Jan. 2026
  • The moment that this type of pairing of AI and a human service provider arises, some pounce on the suggestion and proclaim that this is a dirty rotten trick.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes, 1 Jan. 2023
  • Pop-up dinners and supper clubs are flourishing in the city, where diners in the know pounce on tickets for meals that feature one-night-only menus and are limited to a handful of guests.
    — Amanda Yeager, Baltimore Sun, 1 Dec. 2022
  • Hawks, the bigger of the two (its family, Accipitridae, also includes eagles and vultures), prefer to chase prey, then pounce, killing it with their talons.
    — New York Times, 23 June 2022
  • While not explicitly mimicking their moves, from scuttling to pounces the choreography does have a vigor that drives friendly and fierce moves into the fantastic.
    — Guillermo Perez, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2025
  • With this being the NFL, Grier is waiting to pounce and the threat of drafting a quarterback for development looms.
    — Calvin Watkins, Dallas News, 17 Mar. 2023
  • Following these steps will help your company pounce when an opportunity arises and, hopefully, have a smoother approval process and integration post-close.
    — Paul Davis, Forbes, 17 May 2022

pounce

2 of 2 verb
  • Dad was even pounced once by the cougar.
    — Alex Gurley, PEOPLE, 6 May 2026
  • Set your alerts for last-minute deals and be ready to pounce.
    — David Hochman, Forbes.com, 5 June 2026
  • Trump pounced on the figure at the time.
    — Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 6 Aug. 2025
  • Get ready to pounce on those waitlists though.
    — Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 23 Sep. 2025
  • Looks like today might be the day to pounce!
    — Andrew P. Collins, The Drive, 14 Jan. 2026
  • Rested and ready — and primed to pounce.
    — Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 4 Dec. 2025
  • When Skenes left, the Dodgers pounced.
    — CBS News, 9 June 2026
  • The couple pounced—though there was a hitch.
    — Wendy Goodman, Curbed, 12 Aug. 2025
  • Oh, look, over there, that lynx is about to pounce and rip out my heart!
    — Weike Wang, The New Yorker, 27 July 2023
  • Swerve pounced with a House Call for the win.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026
  • Maton pounced to his left but couldn't come up with the ball.
    — Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press, 25 June 2023
  • The Wild need to pounce at the height of his stardom.
    — Michael Russo, New York Times, 26 May 2026
  • Gilgeous-Alexander pounced this time.
    — Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 28 Feb. 2026
  • The Swede pounced, just a quiff’s distance from the goal line.
    — Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
  • Some spin webs to capture prey while others lie in wait and pounce.
    — Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 July 2026
  • Clegg was using nightcrawlers on a spinning rig when the big tiger pounced.
    — Steven Hill, Field & Stream, 20 Mar. 2023
  • The driver has control of it, ready, ready to pounce on the car in front.
    — Sam Abuelsamid, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
  • The Chiefs didn’t get it, and the Texans pounced.
    — Sam McDowell 23, Kansas City Star, 23 Jan. 2026
  • The Heat will be poised to pounce if the right player falls through the cracks.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 29 June 2026
  • The Canucks were low on leverage, and Drury pounced.
    — Peter Baugh, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2026
  • That’s when Baker-Mazara pounced.
    — Sean Campbell, Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2026
  • Then arb bettors pounce, and their actions end up evening the odds across the sites again.
    — Evan Gorelick, New York Times, 12 June 2026
  • The Rangers pounced early and scored in bunches.
    — CBS News, 10 Mar. 2026
  • The Rangers pounced early and scored in bunches.
    — ABC News, 9 Mar. 2026
  • Cats love to wait patiently for just the right moment to pounce.
    — Cathy M. Rosenthal, San Antonio Express-News, 15 Dec. 2022
  • The basketball purists are ready to pounce on me for even asking.
    — Jason Williams, The Enquirer, 7 Mar. 2023
  • Then pick the moment to go on the offensive, to pounce, to seize the game.
    — Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2025
  • When the right issues come up, the faith’s lobbyists will be ready to pounce.
    — Robert Gehrke, The Salt Lake Tribune, 29 Mar. 2022
  • If a winner is served on a silver platter, each side would be quick to pounce.
    — Jim Barnes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 July 2026
  • There are a few fake starts, as the camera get closeups of the players ready to pounce.
    — Michael Schneider, Variety, 20 Sep. 2023

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

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