Macmillan Dictionary

Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

pocket

 - definition
 
 
 
Close

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Close

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

more
noun [countable] American English pronunciation: pocket /ˈpɑkɪt/ 
Word Forms
Close
singularpocket
pluralpockets
Other entries for this word
  1. 1
    a small bag that forms part of a piece of clothing and is used for holding small objects

    The money had fallen out of a hole in my pocket.

    She searched her pockets for the car keys.

    a pants/shirt/coat pocket

    a top pocket (=on the front of a jacket)

    a back pocket (=of a pair of pants)

    He slipped his billfold into an inside pocket (=of his coat).

    put something into/take something out of a pocket:

    She had put her hands in her pockets to keep them warm.

    empty your pockets:

    The police officer asked us to empty our pockets.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of pocket
    1. a.
      a small bag or other container that forms part of an object, for example a bag

      The safety instructions are in the pocket of the seat in front of you.

      She put the money in the middle pocket of her purse.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of pocket
    2. b.
      a hole with a small string bag fitted below it in the side of a billiard or pool table that you try to hit a ball into

      Hit the ball into one of the side pockets.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of pocket
  2. 2
    a supply of money that is available for spending
    out of/from your own pocket (=using your own money, not your company's):

    Our boss expects us to pay for the trip out of our own pockets.

    deep pockets (=a lot of available money):

    It's an organization with very deep pockets.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of pocket
  3. 3
    a small area which has a particular quality that makes it different from the areas around it
    pocket of:

    There are still pockets of resistance to the government forces.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of pocket

This is the American English definition of pocket. View British English definition of pocket.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to British English.

 

charticle

a news article that consists of a chart … and only has a small amount of text

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day

electron

a part of an atom that moves around the nucleus (=centre) and has a negative electrical charge

Open Dictionary

never event

an event that should never occur in a healthcare setting …

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog