From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpawnpawn1 /pɔːn $ pɒːn/ noun [countable] 1 DGBone of the eight smallest and least valuable pieces which each player has in the game of chess2 USE A PERSONsomeone who is used by a more powerful person or group and has no control of the situationpawn in They became pawns in the political battle.
Examples from the Corpus
pawn• The ambassador was being used as a pawn in the struggle between the two superpowers.• Instead a blunder in the opening left him a pawn down, on the verge of defeat.• The game was adjourned after 63 moves, with Speelman trying to win with rook and bishop against rook and pawn.• But the blocked spending bills are pawns in a larger debate over the parties' competing seven-year balanced-budget plans.• When I entered our room I found Mum had down two more vases and was sorting out a pile of pawn tickets.• All other captures fail to 42 g4 but now Black's passed pawns should be enough to win.• Pretty ignominious sort of territorial pawn at that.• The soldiers were nothing more than pawns, regarded as dispensable by their officers.• Legislators dependent on campaign contributions became the pawns of competing special-interest lobbies, who held each other in check.• He proposed to make the army-the dependable support of the Constitution rather than the pawn of politicians to effect its overthrow.pawn in• The children became pawns in their parents' divorce battle.pawnpawn2 verb [transitive] BBTBFto leave something valuable with a pawnbroker in order to borrow money from them → pawn something ↔ off→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
pawn• The wooden booths where people would bring in their items to pawn for cash, or more likely beer, still exist.• She sets out to pawn for passage money a necklace which belonged to her father, who died before she knew him.• Says I should pawn my jewellery.• Treat yourself to it, even if it means pawning something you can live without.• Popes were not always above pawning their tiaras.From Longman Business Dictionarypawnpawn1 /pɔːnpɒːn/ verb [transitive]COMMERCE to leave a valuable item with a pawnbroker in order to borrow money from them. If the person borrowing the money does not pay it back, the pawnbroker can sell the item to get back the debt, and any interest that is owedAs credit has gotten tighter for many people, the number willing to pawn their cars has increased.→ See Verb tablepawnpawn2 noun [uncountable]COMMERCE1in pawn if an item is in pawn, it has been left with a pawnbroker in order to borrow money from them2out of pawn if you take an item out of pawn, you pay back the money you have borrowed and get the item back from the pawnbrokerOrigin pawn1 (1300-1400) Anglo-French poun, from Medieval Latin pedo “soldier” pawn2 (1500-1600) pawn “condition of having been pawned” ((15-21 centuries)), from Old French pan 