impounding

im·pound  (m-pound)

tr.v. im·pound·ed, im·pound·ing, im·pounds

1. To confine in or as if in a pound: capture and impound stray dogs.

2. To seize and retain in legal custody: impounding disputed electoral ballots.

3. To set aside in a fund rather than spend as prescribed: a governor who impounded monies designated for use by cities.

4. To accumulate and store in a reservoir: By damming the stream, the engineers impounded its waters for irrigation.

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im·pounder n.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

impounding - placing private property in the custody of an officer of the law impoundment, internment, poundage seizure - the taking possession of something by legal process drug bust, drugs bust - seizure of illegal drugs by the police law, jurisprudence - the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order"