Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of noun pawl
1 sense of pawl
Sense 1
pawl, detent, click, dog -- (a hinged catch that fits into a notch of a ratchet to move a wheel forward or prevent it from moving backward)
=> catch, stop -- (a restraint that checks the motion of something; "he used a book as a stop to hold the door open")