pocketbook

[pok-it-boo k]

See more synonyms for pocketbook on Thesaurus.com

noun

a woman's purse or handbag.
a person's financial resources or means: The price was out of reach of his pocketbook.
Also pocket book. a book, usually paperback, that is small enough to carry in one's coat pocket.

British.
1. a notebook for carrying in one's pocket.
2. a wallet or billfold.

Origin of pocketbook

First recorded in 1610–20; pocket + book

Can be confusedbriefcase handbag pocketbook purse valise wallet

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for pocketbook

handbag, wallet, purse, pouch, suitcase, hide, leather, clutch, frame, bag, reticule

Examples from the Web for pocketbook

Contemporary Examples of pocketbook

Seemingly possessed by demons, she would slip objects from the homes of rich people they visited into her pocketbook.
Borges Had A Genius For Literature But Not Love Or Much Else
Allen Barra
October 24, 2014
Not many doctors are likely to reach for the pocketbook on that scale without quite a bit of deliberation.
The New Face of American Medicine: Liberal Women
Dale Eisinger
June 9, 2014
Because they're not limited by their checkbook or pocketbook, they can buy a whole swath of products.
Lingerie for the 1 Percent
CNBC
August 6, 2013
Republicans face increasing difficulty with the Hispanic vote for pocketbook reasons.
Who Wins from Immigration Deal? Not Republicans
David Frum
January 28, 2013
Pocketbook issues make Hispanics natural Democrats, not natural Republicans.
Social Conservatives 'No Mas'
David Frum
January 22, 2013

Historical Examples of pocketbook

She had seen the little roll of bills in her mother's pocketbook.
The Little Colonel
Annie Fellows Johnston
Then he went deeper into his pocketbook and took out a small photograph.
The Innocent Adventuress
Mary Hastings Bradley
He delved for the pocketbook, opened it—and found no certificate therein.
Galusha the Magnificent
Joseph C. Lincoln
He took out the pocketbook once more and from it extracted a two-dollar bill.
Mary-'Gusta
Joseph C. Lincoln
I don't remember how it came about or how the pocketbook and the pencil came into my hands.
The Shadow-Line
Joseph Conrad

British Dictionary definitions for pocketbook

pocketbook

noun US and Canadian

a small bag or case for money, papers, etc, carried by a handle or in the pocket
(modifier) concerned with personal financepocketbook issues

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

Word Origin and History for pocketbook

also pocket-book, 1610s, originally a small book meant to be carried in one's pocket, from pocket (n.) + book (n.). Meaning "a booklike leather folder for papers, bills, etc." is from 1722. Meaning "a woman's purse" is from 1816.