pocketbook

American  

[pok-it-book] / ˈpɒk ɪtˌbʊk /

noun

• pocketbooks
  plural

1. handbag.

2. a person's financial resources or means.

   The price was out of reach of his pocketbook.

3. Also pocket book a book, usually paperback, that is small enough to carry in one's coat pocket.

4. British.

   1. a notebook for carrying in one's pocket.

   2. a wallet or billfold.

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pocketbook British  

/ ˈpɒkɪtˌbʊk /

noun

1. a small bag or case for money, papers, etc, carried by a handle or in the pocket

2. (modifier) concerned with personal finance

   pocketbook issues

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pocketbooks
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of pocketbook

First recorded in 1610–20; pocket + book

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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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pocketbook pocketbooks

Polls asking voters about priorities use different methodologies, but they broadly agree on the dominance of pocketbook concerns.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

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

“Broader electorates require democracy narratives grounded in pocketbook realities.”

From Salon ● Mar. 8, 2026

She had on her last year’s soirée costume—with a little pink-gauze skirt that stuck out short and stiff, a pink body waist, pink dancing shoes, and even a little pink pocketbook.

From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers

"American voters voted with their pocketbooks," Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY-Parthenon, told AFP.

From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026

Metro just can’t open our pocketbooks and throw money at the agency,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

“With a resurgence in fuel prices and trade tensions, consumers anticipate greater pressures on their pocketbooks to come.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

“With ⁠a resurgence in fuel prices and trade tensions, consumers anticipate greater pressures on their pocketbooks to come,” Joanne ⁠Hsu, the director of the Surveys of Consumers, said.

From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026

Wouldn’t they care more for their pocketbooks than their principles?

From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes

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Related Words

• handbag
• pouch
• purse
• suitcase
• wallet

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