From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpounce on somebody/something phrasal verb1 CRITICIZEto criticize someone’s mistakes or ideas very quickly and eagerly Teachers are quick to pounce on students’ grammatical errors.2 ADVANTAGEto eagerly take an opportunity as soon as it becomes available When they offered O'Leary the chance to become manager, he pounced on it. → pounce→ See Verb table