Pokémon
American-
a media franchise including video games, animated television series, movies, card games, etc. that depict a fictional class of pet monsters and their trainers.
-
a pet monster in this fictional world.
Etymology
Origin of Pokémon
1995–2000; shortening of Japanese Poketto Monsutā , itself a loan translation of English pocket monsters
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Elliot cites stories of people "quitting their jobs" to invest in items like Pokémon trading cards.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
He added: "When me and my brother started playing Pokémon together we didn't really know how to play, but a couple of months later Oliver started beating me at every game."
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
They drew Silicon Valley investors, and the pair added Pokémon and sports cards, coins and eventually fashion, electronics and a wide range of other items, including knives, horse tack and live plants.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
The new Pokémon sets will detect each other, so kids can “battle,” complete with light-up effects and creature-appropriate roars and fight sounds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
How’s this for pathetic: me in pajama pants and a questionably clean T-shirt from Mom’s law firm picnic, smeared in Cheeto dust, on the couch watching YouTube videos of Pokémon dancing to Kesha songs.
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.