out-of-pocket

American  

[out-uhv-pok-it] / ˈaʊt əvˈpɒk ɪt /

adjective

1. 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.

2. without funds or assets.

   an out-of-pocket student who stayed with us.

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out of pocket British  

adjective

1. (postpositive) having lost money, as in a commercial enterprise

2. without money to spend

3. (prenominal) (of expenses) unbudgeted and paid for in cash

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out of pocket Idioms  

1. 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]

2. 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]

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Etymology

Origin of out-of-pocket

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

Those who have commercial coverage can often use a manufacturer savings card from drugmakers like Novo Nordisk or Eli Lilly to lower the out-of-pocket co-pay to as little as $25 per month.

From MarketWatch • 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

It lowers out-of-pocket costs and expands the addressable market for fertility treatment, even if total births remain depressed.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

The advantage to the railway conducted under private management may be defined to be the excess of receipts from the traffic over the out-of-pocket expenses actually incurred in handling the traffic.

From The Development of Rates of Postage An Historical and Analytical Study by Smith, A. D.

Related Words

• amount
• budget
• charge
• consumption
• debt
• expenditure
• insurance
• investment
• liability
• loan
• loss
• mortgage
• obligation
• outlay
• payroll
• price
• price tag
• rate
• risk
• spending