pocketbook
Americannoun
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a small bag or case for money, papers, etc, carried by a handle or in the pocket
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(modifier) concerned with personal finance
pocketbook issues
Etymology
Origin of pocketbook
Explanation
Pocketbook is another name for a purse or wallet, a place to keep money or other essentials. Pocketbook can also refer to the amount of money you have, even if it’s in your mattress. In the UK, pocketbook is a pocket-sized notebook, but in the US it's usually a small bag typically carried by women. Figuratively, your pocketbook is your budget: "Those shoes are way too expensive for my pocketbook." In the early 1600s, a pocketbook was "a book small enough to fit in a pocket," and by 1722 it became "a booklike leather folder for papers." In the early 1800s, it came to mean "woman's handbag."
Vocabulary lists containing pocketbook
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.
As in prior years, the pollsters noted, each of the voters’ priority issues for elected officials to address — from cost of living to healthcare to housing — “are all driven by pocketbook concerns.”
From Salon • Jun. 3, 2026
Sentiment was nearly 30% below the level in December 2024 “as pocketbook issues continue to dominate consumer views of the economy,” the report said.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 23, 2025
By the early 20th century, dictionaries of American slang show gravy drifting from the plate to the pocketbook.
From Salon • Nov. 23, 2025
But they’re also taking fresh inspiration from Mamdani’s win, pointing to his inclusive, unapologetic campaign and his relentless focus on pocketbook issues, particularly among working-class voters.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 8, 2025
John had praised her, and was undoing the old pocketbook which they called the ‘bank’, when Meg, knowing that it was quite empty, stopped his hand, saying nervously...
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
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.
