Synonyms

pawnbroker

American

[pawn-broh-ker] / ˈpɔnˌbroʊ kər /

noun

a person whose business is lending money at interest on personal, movable property deposited with the lender until redeemed.

pawnbroker British

/ ˈpɔːnˌbrəʊkə /

noun

a dealer licensed to lend money at a specified rate of interest on the security of movable personal property, which can be sold if the loan is not repaid within a specified period

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

pawnbroking noun

Etymology

Origin of pawnbroker

First recorded in 1680–90; pawn ¹ + broker

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A greedy pawnbroker gets involved, and the pieces are in place for a fable — a surreal one, without the customary lesson at the end.

From Los Angeles Times

You can always head to your local pawnbroker or a merchant who specializes in coins or precious metals.

From MarketWatch

Vestiges of Reseda’s small-town beginning still survive in block after block of single-story businesses like the Traders pawnbroker and jewelry store at the intersection of Reseda Boulevard and Sherman Way.

From Los Angeles Times

She took a variety of wartime jobs including working in a hairdressers, as a hat maker and - finally - in a pawnbroker's shop.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023