ironbound

[ ahy-ern-bound ]

adjective
  1. bound with iron.

  2. rock-bound; rugged.

  1. hard; rigid; unyielding.

Origin of ironbound

1
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at iron, -bound1

Words Nearby ironbound

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use ironbound in a sentence

  • A word dropped that I was returning there would bring me, by ironbound custom, an invitation to travel in their company.

    The Door Through Space | Marion Zimmer Bradley
  • An angry roar went up to Heaven, followed by a hail of blows upon the stout, ironbound oak, and an imperious call to open.

    The Trampling of the Lilies | Rafael Sabatini
  • Three days ago, two shipwrecks took place upon our ironbound coast.

  • There, in front of the ironbound box, knelt Pomponio, busily at work on the stout padlock that guarded the treasures within.

    Old Mission Stories of California | Charles Franklin Carter
  • On the far side of the house I found him pressed close against the old ironbound oak door of the chapel.

    Dracula | Bram Stoker

British Dictionary definitions for ironbound

ironbound

/ (ˈaɪənˌbaʊnd) /


adjective
  1. bound with iron

  2. unyielding; inflexible

  1. (of a coast) rocky; rugged

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012