pocketful

American

[pok-it-fool] / ˈpɒk ɪtˌfʊl /

noun

PLURAL

pocketfuls

the amount that a pocket will hold.

pocketful British

/ ˈpɒkɪtfʊl /

noun

as much as a pocket will hold
informal a large amount

it cost him a pocketful of money

"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

Spelling

See -ful.

Etymology

Origin of pocketful

First recorded in 1605–15; pocket + -ful

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.

Mr Lake said Talbot accepted when he attended the property sore "he would take pocketfuls, as much as he could fit in his pockets".

From BBC

This week sees the release of his debut album, “Belamor,” a pocketful of intimate electro-pop gems from a queer Latino in exile.

From Los Angeles Times

Joan’s parting charge for you was to find a “pocketful of happiness” each day.

From Los Angeles Times

Trump never leaves the house without a pocketful of revenge.

From Washington Post

"I am not come here to laugh or to jeer, but for a pocketful of money, and a skinful of beer," goes one version of the custom.

From Salon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023