pocket money

noun

1. money for small, current expenses.

pocket money

noun

1. a small weekly sum of money given to children by parents as an allowance

2. money for day-to-day spending, incidental expenses, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of pocket money¹

First recorded in 1625–35

Idioms and Phrases

Also, spending money. Cash for incidental or minor expenses, as in They don't believe in giving the children pocket money without asking them to do chores, or Can I borrow a dollar? I'm out of all my spending money. The first term, dating from the early 1600s, alludes to keeping small sums in one's pocket; the second alludes to money that may be spent (as opposed to saved) and dates from the late 1500s.

Example Sentences

From her conversations with other parents and young people, Natalie said she had come to believe that drug dealers were deliberately targeting children with "pocket money prices", sometimes as cheap as £8 per gram.

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Beth and her friends would use their pocket money in the late noughties to buy magnetic earrings, badges and toe rings from the accessories brand.

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In reality, she paid the daily fee, and sat in the office writing online novels to earn some pocket money.

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Shop owners told the BBC Jellycat's toys had always been a stable seller, bought as gifts for newborns or by children saving up pocket money.

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"It can also cause challenges for many families to navigate, changing the nature of pocket money."

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