To impound means to take something and hold it in official custody, usually because of a rule violation or legal matter. When a car is parked illegally for too long, the city might impound it by towing it to a special lot where the owner must pay fees to get it back. If someone brings prohibited items through airport security, officials might impound those items.

The word indicates official authority taking temporary possession of something through proper legal channels. Police might impound a vehicle involved in a crime as evidence. Animal control officers impound stray dogs, keeping them safe at a shelter until owners can claim them or new families can adopt them.

An impound lot or impound yard is where towed vehicles or seized property is stored. Libraries sometimes joke about impounding overdue books, though they usually just charge fines instead.

Centuries ago, towns had pounds for stray livestock; farmers would have to pay to retrieve their wandering cows or sheep. Today we still use impound whenever official authorities take possession of property, whether they're temporarily holding it, using it as evidence, or keeping it until someone proves ownership and pays what's owed.