pounding

Meanings

1. 1adjectivebefore a noun

   Hitting or beating again and again with great force, or throbbing strongly and loudly.

   Grammar: Comes before a noun: a pounding headache, pounding waves.

   I woke with a pounding headache and a dry mouth.

   The pounding surf shook the little harbor wall.

   Her pounding heart was so loud she thought everyone could hear it.

2. 2noununcountable

   A series of heavy, repeated blows, or the sound they make.

   Grammar: Often followed by of or from: the pounding of boots on the stairs.

   Patterns

   • the pounding of something

   The pounding on the door woke the whole street.

   He could hear the pounding of the drums from three blocks away.

3. 3nounusually singularinformal

   A crushing defeat or very rough treatment, especially in sport or in the news.

   Grammar: Used with take or get: the team took a pounding.

   Patterns

   • take a pounding
   • give someone a pounding

   The home side took a real pounding in the second half.

   The town got a pounding from the storm all night.

Common combinations

pounding headache

A pounding headache kept her in bed all morning.

pounding heart

With a pounding heart he opened the results envelope.

take a pounding

The old fishing boat took a pounding in the gale.

pounding music

The pounding music made the windows vibrate.

pounding surf

We watched the pounding surf from the cliff top.

pounding on the door

There was a pounding on the door at midnight.

Synonyms and how they differ

throbbing

Throbbing describes a steady pulse of pain or sound, whereas pounding is heavier and more violent.

hammering

Hammering is very close in meaning but suggests sharp, metallic blows, while pounding is duller and heavier.

thumping

Thumping is more casual and suggests a duller, softer thud than pounding.

beating

Beating is the broad neutral term for repeated hits, with less sense of force than pounding.

Opposites

Word family

pound verb

to hit heavily and repeatedly, or to throb

pounder noun

a tool or person that pounds, as in a meat pounder

poundage noun

a charge or weight calculated per pound

Practice

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