pocketbook
Americannoun
-
a small bag or case for money, papers, etc, carried by a handle or in the pocket
-
(modifier) concerned with personal finance
pocketbook issues
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
All of it, unfortunately, has been passed down to your pocketbook in one form or another.
From Slate ● Jul. 2, 2026
Officials said they would use this additional fiscal firepower on measures to raise the country’s standard of living, and help households deal with pocketbook strains.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 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
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
Unlike at the Seneca Falls meeting, which focused on legal and intellectual ideas of women’s rights, the second convention emphasized practical pocketbook issues.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
The Council of the District of Columbia in 2025 rolled back a voter-approved increase in the tipped wage minimum after restaurant customers and tipped workers decried the resulting blow to their pocketbooks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
Also to “Merrily’s” advantage is consumers’ desire to mind their pocketbooks in a challenging economic environment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2025
“If pocketbooks are being stretched and consumers are being choiceful and value-seeking, it stands to reason, if there’s more pressure on the consumer, they’re only going to become more so.”
From Barron's ● Nov. 21, 2025
But was this a true bridge-too-far-moment, or were they more concerned about their own pocketbooks?
From Slate ● Nov. 8, 2025
Ladies’ arms draped with pocketbooks and men’s arms draped with coats formed a barrier as difficult to get through as barbed wire.
From "From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" by E.L. Konigsburg
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.
