out-of-pocket
adjective
paid out in cash or from one's own financial resources and sometimes reimbursed.
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out-of-pocket
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out of pocket
out of pocketadjective(postpositive) having lost money, as in a commercial enterprise
out-of-pocket
American
[out-uhv-pok-it]
/ ˈaʊt əvˈpɒk ɪt /
adjective
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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.
out of pocket
British
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
out of pocket
Idioms
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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.
See Examples For:
The average monthly spending on healthcare in 2024 was about $500, including insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
But that wouldn’t work very well, because of gaps in that program — it doesn’t cover dental or vision care and has no out-of-pocket cap.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
“The out-of-pocket court costs of a New York eviction are relatively modest: typically a filing fee, process-server fees, and the sheriff’s or marshal’s fee for the lockout,” Sirianni says.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026
Losing her health insurance forces her to swallow the hefty out-of-pocket cost of medical procedures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 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 George A. Birmingham
Another couple who were "scarred for life" by a rogue trader who left them £30,000 out of pocket said it would give more confidence to homeowners.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
Most purely cosmetic surgery is paid for out of pocket, as Medicare generally doesn’t cover procedures performed solely for cosmetic purposes.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 5, 2026
Whether they choose to buy a home or rent a house, the understanding is that they will be paying for it entirely out of pocket.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
If there is still disruption, I may have to get a taxi to Worcester, which will leave me even more out of pocket.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
After three years of struggling to pay my tuition out of pocket, we were finally able to apply for financial aid for my senior year.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
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.
