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REFERENCE

pocket

n. · v. · adj.
US //ˈpɑkət// UK //pˈɒkɪt// pock·et
  1. 1 clothing pouch (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    a small bag sewn into or onto a piece of clothing to hold things like keys or money.

    a small pouch or bag-like attachment sewn into or onto a garment for carrying small items.

    Example

    He reached into his pocket to find his phone but it wasn't there.

    Example

    The tailor added an internal breast pocket to the jacket to accommodate the client's fountain pen and notebook.
  2. 2 isolated area (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    a small area or group that is different from the larger area around it.

    a small, isolated area or group that is distinct from its surroundings.

    Example

    There are still small pockets of snow in the shade of the trees.

    Example

    Despite the general economic recovery, several pockets of high unemployment remain in the industrial north.
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  1. 3 money/finances (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

    the amount of money someone has available to spend.

    a person's financial resources or capacity to pay.

    Example

    The expensive repairs to the car really hit my pocket this month.

    Example

    The new tax legislation was designed to put more money back into the pockets of middle-income families.
  2. 4 billiards/pool (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Sport

    one of the holes at the corners and sides of a pool or snooker table.

    any of the six openings at the corners and sides of a billiard, pool, or snooker table into which balls are struck.

    Example

    He aimed for the corner pocket but the ball hit the edge and stayed on the table.

    Example

    The professional player demonstrated remarkable precision by sinking the black ball into the side pocket from a difficult angle.
  3. 5 to put away (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to put something into your pocket.

    to place an object into a pocket; by extension, to take possession of something, sometimes dishonestly.

    Example

    She pocketed the change and walked out of the shop.

    Example

    The executive was accused of pocketing company funds to pay for his lavish personal lifestyle.
  4. 6 small/portable (adj.)
    B1 Intermediate

    small enough to fit in a pocket or much smaller than usual.

    of a size suitable for carrying in a pocket; used to describe compact versions of standard objects.

    Example

    I always carry a pocket dictionary when I travel abroad.

    Example

    The developer proposed a pocket park to provide a small green space for the residents of the crowded urban block.
Origin

From Middle English pocket (“bag, sack”), from Anglo-Norman poket, Old Northern French poquet, poquete, diminutive of poque, poke (“bag, sack”) (compare modern Norman pouquette and modern French pochette from Old French pochete, from puche), from Frankish pokō (“pouch”), from Proto-Germanic pukkô, pukô (“bag; pouch”), from Proto-Indo-European bew- (“to blow, swell”). Equivalent to poke + -et. Doublet of pochette. Cognate with Middle Dutch poke, Alemannic German Pfoch (“purse, bag”), Old English pocca, pohha (“poke, pouch, pocket, bag”), Old Norse poki (“bag, pocket”). Compare the related poke (“sack or bag”). See also Modern French pochette and Latin bucca.

Idioms9 entries

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