What does pounce mean?
Word: Pounce
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Pounce means to jump forward suddenly to grab something, the way a tiger springs on its prey.
Synonyms: spring, jump
How do you spell pounce?
Syllables: pounce
Tricky part: Two sounds hide their letters: the 'ow' sound is written ou, and the hissing sound at the end is written ce.
Watch out for: pownce, pouns, pownse
Memory tip: Pounce is bounce with a p in front instead of a b. If you can spell bounce, you can spell pounce.
Pounce in a sentence
Example 1: Our kitten loves to pounce on dry leaves in the garden.
Example 2: A tiger waits in the tall grass before it pounces.
Example 3: Meera pounced on the last samosa before her brother could reach it.
Fun Fact
Foxes hunting in snow listen for mice moving underneath, then jump high and pounce head first into the snow to catch them.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word:
pounce
a) leap
b) crawl
c) wait
d) retreat
Show answer
a) leap. A pounce is a sudden leap; crawling and retreating are slow or backward moves.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The kitten crouched low and got redy to pounce on the ball of wool.
a) redy
b) pounce
c) crouched
d) wool
Show answer
a) redy. Ready has ea, like read and bread. Pounce is spelt right here.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) leopard
b) pounce
c) tiger
d) jungel
Show answer
d) jungel. Jungle ends in -le, as table does; pounce, tiger and leopard are all spelt correctly.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
pounnce
a) o
b) u
c) n
d) c
Show answer
c) n. Pounce has a single n, just like bounce.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which animal is most likely to pounce on a mouse?
a) a rabbit
b) a cat
c) a squirrel
d) a parrot
Show answer
b) a cat
2. Pounce can also be a noun. Which sentence uses it as a noun?
a) The cat made a sudden pounce at the moth.
b) The cat pounces at moths every night.
c) The cat pounced at the moth and missed.
d) The cat will pounce at the moth soon.
Show answer
a) The cat made a sudden pounce at the moth.
