pocket borough
(before the Reform Bill of 1832) any English borough whose representatives in Parliament were controlled by an individual or family.
an election district under the control of an individual, family, or group.
Origin of pocket borough
1Words Nearby pocket borough
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use pocket borough in a sentence
In February 1830 the doors of the House of Commons were opened to him through what was then called a “pocket borough.”
Had it not been for a pocket borough, Burke, that Cicero of English politics, would never have entered the halls of legislation.
Ande Trembath | Matthew Stanley KempIt was their Parliamentary pocket-borough, and only their nominees could be elected.
The Cornish Coast (South) | Charles G. HarperLike Gatton, Reigate was a pocket borough, and sent two members to Parliament until 1832, when the two were reduced to one.
Highways and Byways in Surrey | Eric ParkerThereafter, it was storekeeper Lincoln's pocket borough; its ruffians were his body-guard.
Lincoln | Nathaniel Wright Stephenson
British Dictionary definitions for pocket borough
(before the Reform Act of 1832) an English borough constituency controlled by one person or family who owned the land: Compare rotten borough
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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