/noun
1A small bag sewn into or on clothing so as to form part of it, used for carrying small articles: she fished for her door key in her coat pocket...
- I turned around to see someone standing there with his hands in his pants pockets, smiling.
- It has two zippered side-entry pockets and high-quality ribbing at the waist and cuffs.
- Sadly this happened to us recently after my smart smart brother left a biro in his shirt pocket.
1.1A pouch-like compartment providing separate storage space, for example in a suitcase or car door: the pack has two main compartments and four pockets...
- There are storage pockets in all four doors, which is always appreciated.
- The process also allows for part integration, like storage bins, map pockets and cup holders built into door panels.
- There are plenty more stowage points dotted around the car, including glove box, front door pockets, cup and bottle holders, and a special slide out shelf beneath the front seats.
Synonyms
compartment, pouch, receptacle, sack, cavity
1.2South African A narrow sack in which agricultural produce is sold, used as a measure for trading: consumers are paying the same for 10 kg pockets of potatoes as they paid for 15 kg pockets last year
1.3 Billiards & Snooker An opening at the corner or on the side of the table into which balls are struck.Wisely selecting the six ball for the side pocket, you carefully position the cue ball....
- I leaned over the table, aiming to bounce the white ball off of a side to knock a blue ball into the corner pocket.
- The pool hall was full of seedy characters as Sabrina sunk a red ball into the corner pocket, slamming two more in on rebound.
1.4 informal A person’s financial resources: the food was all priced to suit the hard-up airman’s pocket...
- Kind-hearted readers have dug deep into their own pockets to replace the money stolen from a collection tin destined for our Cancer Appeal.
- A wide variety of hotels are available to suit all pockets.
- Like any parent whose pockets are empty, I turned a deaf ear.
Synonyms
means, budget, resources, financial resources, finances, funds, money, capital, assets, wherewithal;
North American pocketbook
2A small patch of something: some of the gardens still had pockets of dirty snow in them...
- A month or so ago I called at Browns Nursery in Wigginton to buy a few primulas to give the garden pockets of bright colour.
- The temperature plummeted; large slabs of permanent ice replaced occasional pockets of snow.
- Then Bob took over, planting colorful flowers in poolside pockets and on the terraced hillside.
2.1A small, isolated group or area: there were pockets of disaffection in parts of the country...
- It is calling for a new approach to nature conservation, focusing on whole landscapes rather than isolated pockets.
- Famine is biting deep in isolated pockets all over the country.
- There are coalitions, but they're in separate pockets around the country, it is not a national coalition.
2.2A cavity in a rock or stratum filled with ore or other material.This suggests that the mantle convects as a whole, although the geochemists now require an explanation for the existence of pockets of unmixed mantle material....
- Many of the large pillow pockets are filled with powdery white thaumasite that has the consistency of freshly fallen snow.
- Some of the material from the junction pockets was clear enough to produce fine gemstones.
adjective [attributive]
1Of a suitable size for carrying in a pocket: a pocket German dictionary...
- A spokeswoman also said that in 100 years, the pocket dictionary had almost doubled in size, reflecting the expansion in the language.
- And if you really want to get philosophical, bring a pocket dictionary.
- A little French is indispensable, even if it's just from pocket dictionaries and phrase books.
1.1On a small scale: a 6,000 acre pocket paradise...
- The great leap forward in pocket auto design came in the mid-1990s.
- Although Lees-Milne relished writing in Beckford's library, his wife was miserable with only a pocket garden.
- The film is based on the British Navy's triumph over a German pocket battleship, the Graf Spee, in the early months of the second world war.
Synonyms
small, little, miniature, mini, compact, fun-size, concise, abridged, potted, portable;
North American vest-pocket
informal pint-sized
verb (pockets, pocketing, pocketed) [with object]
1Put into one’s pocket: she watched him lock up and pocket the key...
- He locked the doors, pocketed his keys, and walked to me.
- As I pocketed the bill, still sensing their hostility, I readied my escape plan.
- After a moment of hesitation, Joe shrugged and pocketed the money.
Synonyms
steal, take for oneself, help oneself to, appropriate, misappropriate, thieve, purloin, embezzle, expropriate
informal filch, swipe, snaffle, lift, rip off, skim
British informal pinch, nick, half-inch, whip, nobble
rare peculate, defalcate
1.1Take or receive (money or other valuables) for oneself, especially dishonestly: local politicians were found to have been pocketing the proceeds of fund-raisers...
- Some borrowed money was pocketed by corrupt officials.
- ‘They pocketed the bribe money without ever delivering the quid pro quo,’ he said.
- We have also had stories of lawyers pocketing money entrusted to them by clients and others allegedly being involved in corruption.
1.2 Billiards & Snooker Drive (a ball) into a pocket: he pocketed the 8-ball on the break for a victory in the title game...
- I accepted the challenge to simply pocket the object ball in the side, and stop the cueball dead.
- After pocketing a red ball, the player may shoot at his choice of colored balls.
- The main reason not to use sidespin is it increases the difficulty of pocketing the ball.
1.3Enclose as though in a pocket: the fillings can be pocketed in a pitta bread...
- As they rode the fire receded to a faint glow pocketed in the otherwise dark of the desert night.
1.4Suppress (one’s feelings) and proceed despite them: they were prepared to pocket their pride...
- By the next day I had an eye that looked as if it had done ten rounds with Mike Tyson, so it was time I pocketed my pride and visited a doctor!
- He had not understood why she had acted like that but out of due respect for the girl he decided to pocket his own emotions as well.
Phrases
in pocket
in someone's pocket
out of pocket
pay out of pocket
put one's hand in one's pocket
Derivatives
pocketable
- The end results are good though and, if you're willing to sacrifice speed for a truly pocketable snapper, take this Pentax model into consideration.
- The 775 is designed to be small, pocketable and extremely easy to use…
- The hidden keyboard means that the huge screen is easily accommodated, but it would still be nicer to have a more pocketable device.
pocketful
/ noun (plural pocketfuls) ...- Just turn up with pocketfuls of cash and be prepared to be entertained.
- And what of her wider dreams and aspirations or even her immediate thoughts as she slipped home with her sack of groceries and her pocketful of coins?
- I desperately tried to hand out the pocketful of coupons as the frenzy grew and the kids ignored the pleas of their teachers to stop crushing me.
pocketless
- I can see why holidaymakers need to carry luggage, I know that shoppers have to lug their purchases home and I'll concede that pocketless women need a handbag to keep all their bits in.
- In this presumably pocketless world, body art served as a wallet, passport, work permit, and business card rolled into one.
- The dip was oniony and lightly fishy, a perfect complement to the warm pocketless pittas that came alongside it.
Origin
Middle English (in the sense 'bag, sack', also used as a measure of quantity): from Anglo-Norman French poket(e), diminutive of poke 'pouch'. The verb dates from the late 16th century Compare with poke2.
The first sense recorded for pocket was a ‘bag, sack’. It comes from Anglo-Norman French poket(e), a little poke or pouch (see pig). This also lies behind poach. Poaching eggs and poaching game may seem vastly different activities, but they are both probably connected with the Old French word pochier or French pocher, ‘to enclose in a bag’. When you poach an egg you can think of the white of the egg as forming a pocket or bag for the yolk to cook in. The second poach first meant ‘to push together in a heap’, and acquired the ‘steal game’ sense in the early 17th century. The connection with the source word comes from the pocket or bag into which a poacher would stuff his ill-gotten gains. Pucker (late 16th century) is probably from the same source, with the little gatherings being seen as small pockets.