impoundment

/im-ˈpau̇n(d)-mənt/ (ame, mw)

impoundment — noun

1. the official taking and holding of someone's vehicle, property, or money by poli

1.名詞C1
釋義

the official taking and holding of someone's vehicle, property, or money by police, customs, or another authority, usually as a result of a legal rule being broken or a court order.

例句

Isabela challenged the impoundment of her car after the parking ticket was overturned.

impoundment of + [vehicle] in a legal-dispute context

The judge ordered the impoundment of all documents found in the warehouse during the raid.

ordered the impoundment of + [property]; legal-procedure collocation

同義詞
  • seizure

    broader; covers any official taking, not only vehicles or court-ordered holding

  • confiscation

    stresses permanent removal as a penalty, while impoundment often allows return after a fee or hearing

反義詞
  • release

    the return of an impounded item to its owner

文法句型

impoundment of [property/vehicle/funds]

用法筆記

Subject of the action is usually an authority — police, customs, a court, or a government office. The thing taken is typically a vehicle, document, sum of money, or restricted item; rarely a person.

常見錯誤

❌The police did an impoundment to his car.
✅The police ordered the impoundment of his car.
💡the noun takes 'of', and the typical verb is 'order' or 'carry out', not 'do'.

2. a lake or pool of water that is held back by a dam, levee, or other built barrie

2.名詞C1
釋義

a lake or pool of water that is held back by a dam, levee, or other built barrier — for example for hydropower, drinking-water supply, or flood control.

例句

Imran took photos of the wide impoundment that stretched behind the new dam.

impoundment behind a dam; concrete water-engineering scene

Heavy rain raised the water level in the reservoir's main impoundment by nearly two metres.

water level in the impoundment; hydrology collocation

同義詞
  • reservoir

    the most common everyday word; impoundment is the technical engineering term for the body of water itself

  • pond

    informal; used only when the impoundment is small and not engineered for supply or power

文法句型

a [size/type] impoundment

the impoundment behind/above [structure]

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1 by topic: this sense always describes water held by a barrier (dam, levee, weir), never a vehicle or property held by an authority. Common in engineering, hydrology, and environmental reports rather than everyday conversation.

常見錯誤

❌They swam across the impoundment for fun.
✅They swam across the lake behind the dam.
💡'impoundment' is a technical word; everyday speakers say 'lake', 'reservoir', or 'pond'.