What does "pocket" mean?

Q: What does "pocket" mean?

1. (clothing pouch) a small bag sewn into or onto a piece of clothing to hold things like keys or money. 2. (isolated area) a small area or group that is different from the larger area around it. 3. (money/finances) the amount of money someone has available to spend. 4. (billiards/pool) one of the holes at the corners and sides of a pool or snooker table. 5. (to put away) to put something into your pocket. 6. (small/portable) small enough to fit in a pocket or much smaller than usual.

pocket — meaning, definition & examples

Word

01clothing pouch

A2 · Elementary Countable noun

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

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

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

“The tailor added an internal breast pocket to the jacket to accommodate the client's fountain pen and notebook.”

Synonyms

pouch receptacle

02isolated area

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun

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

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

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

“Despite the general economic recovery, several pockets of high unemployment remain in the industrial north.”

Synonyms

patch zone enclave

03money/finances

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Informal

n. the amount of money someone has available to spend.

n. a person's financial resources or capacity to pay.

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

“The new tax legislation was designed to put more money back into the pockets of middle-income families.”

Synonyms

funds finances means

04billiards/pool

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun Sports

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

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

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

“The professional player demonstrated remarkable precision by sinking the black ball into the side pocket from a difficult angle.”

Synonyms

hole

05to put away

B1 · Intermediate

v. to put something into your pocket.

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

“She pocketed the change and walked out of the shop.”

“The executive was accused of pocketing company funds to pay for his lavish personal lifestyle.”

Synonyms

take appropriate stow

06small/portable

B1 · Intermediate

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

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

“I always carry a pocket dictionary when I travel abroad.”

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

Synonyms

miniature compact portable

Antonyms

oversized giant

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.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.