pounce
pounce — 動詞
- pouncepresent simple I / you / we / they
- pounceshe / she / it
- pouncedpast simple
- pouncing-ing form
1. to suddenly jump forward and grab something, the way a cat or a bird of prey cat
撲向；猛撲
突然跳起攻擊或捕捉
to suddenly jump forward and grab something, the way a cat or a bird of prey catches an animal by leaping onto it from above or from a hiding place.
The cat pounced on the mouse before it could escape.
那隻貓在老鼠逃跑前撲向牠。
pounce on + prey
Sirin watched her kitten pounce on a fallen leaf in the garden.
Sirin 看著她的小貓撲向花園裡的一片落葉。
When the goalkeeper dropped the ball, the opposing striker pounced and scored.
當守門員掉了球時，對方前鋒立即撲上去得分。
Rania's dog pounced onto the sofa the moment she turned around.
Rania 一轉身，她的狗就撲上了沙發。
A hawk pounced on the field mouse and carried it away in its talons.
一隻老鷹撲向田鼠，用爪子將牠抓走了。
- spring
more general — can describe any quick jump in any direction, not necessarily to attack
- swoop
suggests a downward motion from above, most typical of birds of prey
- lunge
a forward thrust that may involve a weapon or the body, often less graceful than a pounce
- leap
emphasises jumping distance or height rather than the predatory intent of a pounce
文法句型
pounce + on/upon + noun phrase
用法筆記
This verb always needs a preposition (most commonly 'on' or 'onto') before the target. 'Upon' is a more formal alternative. The noun phrase after the preposition names the thing being attacked or caught.
常見錯誤
pounce — 名詞
1. a single quick forward jump that a person or animal makes to catch hold of or at
突襲；撲擊
突然撲向的動作
a single quick forward jump that a person or animal makes to catch hold of or attack something that was within reach a moment before.
The cat made a quick pounce, but the bird had already flown away.
貓迅速撲擊，但鳥早已飛走了。
make a pounce
With a sudden pounce, the fox caught the mouse before it could scurry away.
狐狸突然一撲，在老鼠逃竄之前抓住了牠。
sudden pounce
The lion's pounce was so fast that the zebra had no chance to run.
獅子的撲擊速度快到斑馬來不及逃跑。
A single pounce from the tiger sent the deer tumbling to the ground.
老虎一撲就把鹿撞倒在地。
文法句型
a + pounce
make a + pounce
[possessive] + pounce
用法筆記
The noun is far less common than the verb. It is almost always used in the singular form and typically describes an animal's hunting movement. In human contexts it is rare and usually figurative (e.g. 'his pounce on the mistake surprised everyone').