out-of-pocket
Americanadjective
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paid out in cash or from one's own financial resources and sometimes reimbursed.
My out-of-pocket travel expenses included taking business clients to dinner.
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without funds or assets.
an out-of-pocket student who stayed with us.
adjective
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(postpositive) having lost money, as in a commercial enterprise
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without money to spend
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(prenominal) (of expenses) unbudgeted and paid for in cash
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Lacking money; also, having suffered a financial loss, as in We can't go; I'm out of pocket right now . William Congreve had it in The Old Bachelor (1693): “But egad, I'm a little out of pocket at present.” [Late 1600s]
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Referring to actual money spent, as in I had to pay the hotel bill out of pocket, but I know I'll be reimbursed . This expression sometimes occurs as a hyphenated adjective mainly in the phrase out-of-pocket expenses , as in My out-of-pocket expenses for business travel amounted to more than a thousand dollars . [Late 1800s]
Etymology
Origin of out-of-pocket
First recorded in 1880–85
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.
Unlike traditional Medicare, Advantage plans also have out-of-pocket spending caps.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
“A third party that agreed to pay his legal fees and costs has refused to pay, leaving Kay’s current counsel with more than $130,000 in unpaid fees and out-of-pocket expenses,” Gerger wrote.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026
Alongside the extra training posts, the government had also offered to cover some out-of-pocket expenses, such as exam fees, as well as ensuring faster pay progression through the five salary bands that span training.
From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026
Factoring in rent from the tenant, our out-of-pocket costs for the mortgage would be $4,000 per month.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026
"My nephew says," said Doyle, "that he'd be glad of a cheque on account for the statue; he having been put to a good deal of out-of-pocket expense."
From General John Regan by Birmingham, George A.
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.
