noun
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a shaped piece of fabric attached inside or outside a garment and forming a pouch used especially for carrying small articles.
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a bag or pouch.
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any pouchlike receptacle, compartment, hollow, or cavity.
Steam creates little pockets in the dough as it bakes.
He put the water bottle back in its pocket on his backpack.
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an envelope, flat receptacle, etc., open at one end, used for storing something thin.
Each mini photo album has 12 pockets.
There are pockets in the front and back of the binder for loose notes.
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a recess, as in a wall, for receiving a sliding door, sash weights, etc.
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any isolated group, area, element, etc., that contrasts with a surrounding element or group.
After the rebellion was put down, there were still pockets of resistance in some parts of the country.
We biked through a pocket of cooler air sheltered by trees.
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level of financial resources.
The store carried a selection of gifts to fit every pocket.
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Mining.
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a small mass of ore, frequently isolated.
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a bin for ore or rock storage.
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a raise or small slope fitted with chute gates.
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Billiards, Pool. any of the pouches or bags at the corners and sides of the table.
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a position in which a competitor in a race is so hemmed in by others that their progress is impeded.
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Football. the area from which a quarterback throws a pass, usually a short distance behind the line of scrimmage and protected by a wall of blockers.
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Bowling. the space between the headpin and the pin next behind to the left or right, taken as the target for a strike.
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Baseball. the deepest part of a mitt or glove, roughly in the area around the center of the palm, where most balls are caught.
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Nautical. a holder consisting of a strip of sailcloth sewed to a sail, and containing a thin wooden batten that stiffens the leech of the sail.
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Anatomy. any saclike cavity in the body.
a pus pocket.
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an English unit of weight for hops equivalent to 168 pounds (76.4 kilograms).
adjective
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small enough or suitable for carrying in the pocket.
a pocket watch.
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relatively small; smaller than usual.
a pocket war;
a pocket country.
verb (used with object)
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to put into one's pocket.
She pocketed her keys and headed out.
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to take possession of as one's own, often dishonestly.
The mayor was found guilty of pocketing public funds.
- Synonyms:
- filch, appropriate, pilfer, steal
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to submit to or endure without protest or open resentment.
She can't be expected to pocket an insult like that.
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to conceal or suppress.
If you want to make it in this industry, you'll have to pocket your pride.
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to enclose or confine in or as if in a pocket.
The town was pocketed in a small valley.
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Billiards, Pool. to drive (a ball) into a pocket.
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to hem in (a contestant) so as to impede progress, as in racing.
idioms
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in someone's pocket, in someone's possession; under someone's influence.
He has the audience in his pocket.
Some worry that the research agency is in the pocket of the pharmaceutical industry.
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out of pocket,
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having suffered a financial loss; poorer.
He had made unwise land purchases, and found himself several hundred thousand dollars out of pocket.
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lacking money.
I’m out of pocket right now but can pay you next month.
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with one’s own money.
She had to pay for the procedure out of pocket, as it wasn’t covered by insurance.
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Informal. not available; unreachable.
I'll be out of pocket all afternoon.
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Informal. showing lack of restraint; being or going outside the bounds of acceptable behavior.
Getting so rowdy at your friend’s wedding was way out of pocket.
I know I was out of pocket, pressing him on such a sensitive issue.
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line one's pockets, to profit, especially at the expense of others.
While millions were fighting and dying, the profiteers were lining their pockets.
noun
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a small bag or pouch in a garment for carrying small articles, money, etc
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any bag or pouch or anything resembling this
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a cavity or hollow in the earth, etc, such as one containing gold or other ore
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the ore in such a place
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a small enclosed or isolated area
a pocket of resistance
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billiards snooker any of the six holes with pouches or nets let into the corners and sides of a billiard table
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a position in a race in which a competitor is hemmed in
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Australian rules football a player in one of two side positions at the ends of the ground
back pocket
forward pocket
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a bag or sack of vegetables or fruit
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under one's control
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having made a profit, as after a transaction
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rugby (of a fly half) in an attacking position slightly further back from play than normal, making himself available for a drop goal attempt
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having made a loss, as after a transaction
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to make money, esp by dishonesty when in a position of trust
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(modifier) suitable for fitting in a pocket; small
a pocket edition
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slang (modifier) poker denoting a pair formed from the two private cards dealt to a player in a game of Texas hold 'em
pocket queens
verb
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to put into one's pocket
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to take surreptitiously or unlawfully; steal
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(usually passive) to enclose or confine in or as if in a pocket
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to receive (an insult, injury, etc) without retaliating
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to conceal or keep back (feelings)
he pocketed his pride and accepted help
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billiards snooker to drive (a ball) into a pocket
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(esp of the President) to retain (a bill) without acting on it in order to prevent it from becoming law See also pocket veto
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to hem in (an opponent), as in racing
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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pocketsimple
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pocketssimple
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have pocketedperfect
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has pocketedperfect
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am pocketingprogressive
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are pocketingprogressive
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is pocketingprogressive
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have been pocketingperfect progressive
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has been pocketingperfect progressive
Past
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pocketedsimple
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had pocketedperfect
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was pocketingprogressive
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were pocketingprogressive
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had been pocketingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of pocket
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English poket, from Old North French ( Picard ) poquet ( Old French pochet, pochette ), diminutive of poque, from Middle Dutch poke “bag, pocket”; see poke 2, -et
Explanation
A pocket is a kind of pouch that's sewn into your clothes. If you are worried about your ink pen leaking in your shirt pocket, then you might spring for a pocket protector. Nice look! You can keep things like your keys in a pocket, or you can use your pockets to keep your hands warm. Jackets and jeans have pockets, and so do kangaroos and pool tables. In the case of kangaroos, it's a handy pouch in a mother's belly where she can keep a baby kangaroo warm and comfortable. And when you shoot pool, you aim for the pockets. As a verb, pocket can literally mean "put into your pocket," or more figuratively, "steal money." To be "in someone's pocket" is to be under their control or influence.
Vocabulary lists containing pocket
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:
Tokyo had dollars burning a hole in its national pocket.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
Fire Hazard: The fastest-growing risk to air travel is probably in your pocket.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Substantial double-arch sliding glass doors that pocket into walls are mirrored on east and west walls.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Spain and Lamine Yamal have grown through the tournament to leave him with the world at his feet and football's two greatest prizes in his pocket.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Mietje delivered the bread that Betsie baked for Nollie each morning, and the blue sweater Nollie asked for, her favorite, with flowers embroidered over the pocket.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Design features include hidden pockets in waist bands, thumb holes, and badge sashes which double as cross-body bags.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
He said the biggest help the government could offer would be to reform business rates entirely and ensure people had more "money in their pockets" for discretionary spends.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
But something they all walked away with was some extra cash in their pockets and a blueprint for the LA28 Olympics.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
But perhaps CXMT, bolstered by the deep pockets of Hefei’s municipal-investment arm, would be able to accomplish what GigaDevice couldn’t.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026
With one hand on the steering wheel, I pat down my pockets, hoping some cash will magically appear the way Sandy June’s does.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
So-called interchange fees are paid by merchants when consumers shop with their debit cards and are mostly pocketed by banks and other financial institutions that issue those cards.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
The actual amount pocketed by the scam artists was far less.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026
Cameron Smith and Sergio Garcia each received $131,625 for a share of 40th place and Richard Bland pocketed $126,000 for coming 46th out of 57.
From BBC ● Apr. 20, 2026
People who placed the flurry of futures trades beforehand likely pocketed tens of millions of dollars, according to calculations by a market operator for AFP.
From Barron's ● Mar. 27, 2026
If I'd been the closest to Tariq, I'd have pocketed it.
From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon
A 2017 investigation by NPR and Frontline documented numerous examples of waste and fraud, including one developer pocketing tax credits without building the required housing.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
Several construction firm owners, government officials and politicians have been accused of pocketing funds from the projects, but this is the first time a sitting lawmaker was arrested over the scandal.
From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026
And their efforts in Europe have ensured the Norwegian side enjoy a significant payday as they exit pocketing about £40m - almost as much as the current value of their entire squad.
From BBC ● Mar. 17, 2026
Market makers on prediction sites both buy and sell contracts, making money by pocketing the spread in prices between contracts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026
“Yeah, thanks for the heads-up on that,” Tori said, pocketing her phone.
From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson
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.
