pocket

SayPO-kit/ˈpɑ.kɪt/UK/ˈpɒ.kɪt/PAW-kit/ˈpɔ.kɪt/

28 meanings of pocket

1
nouncountable
A small cloth bag sewn into clothes for holding little things.
Like a little cloth bag built into your clothes to hold things.
She put her keys in her coat pocket before leaving.
My jeans have a tiny pocket just big enough for coins.
Note
2
verbtransitive
To put or slip something into a pocket.
Pocket your keys so you don't lose them.
He pocketed the coins he found on the table.
Similarstow, tuck, stash
Note
3
nouncountable
The money that a person has to spend.
Like a wallet that shows how much money you can spend.
The new tax took money straight from every family's pocket.
A vacation like that is far beyond my pocket.
Similarpocketbook
Note
4
verbcolloquialtransitive
To take money or things that are not yours and keep them.
The cashier pocketed some of the cash from the register.
Don't pocket money that belongs to someone else.
Similarsteal, embezzle, pilfer, appropriate, keep
Note
5
nouncountable
A small group or area that is separate from the rest.
Like one small island standing apart in a big sea.
There is still a pocket of snow under the trees.
A small pocket of people kept the old language alive.
Similarenclave, island, patch, cluster
Note
6
adjective
Small enough to fit inside a pocket.
He carried a pocket dictionary on his trip abroad.
She gave me a handy pocket guide to the city.
Similarportable, compact, handheld, miniature, small
Note
7
adjective
Smaller or more compact than the usual size.
They opened a pocket gym in the small corner building.
He drives a pocket car that fits into any tight space.
Similarminiature, compact, mini, small
Note
8
nouncountable
An amount of one material closed inside another.
Like a bubble of air caught inside a block of ice.
A pocket of air was trapped inside the block of ice.
The diver felt a cold pocket of water near the rocks.
Similarbubble, cavity, patch
Note
9
nouncountable
One of the holes at the edge of a pool table where balls fall in.
Like a hole that a ball drops into, with a small net to catch it.
He knocked the black ball into the corner pocket.
The ball rolled straight toward the side pocket.
Note
10
verbtransitive
To knock a ball into a hole on a pool table.
She pocketed the red ball with an easy shot.
Try to pocket two balls on the break.
Similarpot, sink
Note

11
nouncountable
A pouch that is part of an animal's body.
The baby kangaroo stayed safe in its mother's pocket.
A hamster can stuff food into the pocket in its cheek.
Similarpouch, sac
12
nouncountable
An area where soldiers are completely surrounded by the enemy.
Like being closed inside a ring of enemies with no way out.
The army was trapped in a pocket near the river.
Soldiers fought to escape the pocket before it closed.
Similarencirclement
Note
13
nouncountable
The protected space where the quarterback stands to throw the ball.
Like a small safe zone the team builds around the player.
The quarterback stepped up in the pocket and threw a long pass.
Defenders broke into the pocket before he could throw.
Note
14
nouncountable
A hole or socket that holds the bottom of a post or stake.
Like a slot that holds a flagpole standing up straight.
He set the fence post into a metal pocket in the concrete.
Each beam slots into a pocket cut into the wall.
Similarsocket, recess, seat
15
nouncountable
A small hole in rock that holds a piece of gold or other mineral.
Like finding a hidden bag of treasure buried inside a wall.
The miners found a small pocket of gold deep in the cliff.
They dug out several pockets of ore that day.
Similarcavity, deposit
Note
16
adjective
Describing a card or pair that comes from your two starting face-down cards.
Like the two secret cards only you can see.
She was dealt pocket aces and bet big right away.
His pocket pair held up to win the hand.
Note
17
nouncountable
The best spot on the bowling pins to hit the ball for a strike.
Like the best spot on a bat for hitting a ball far.
She rolled the ball right into the pocket and got a strike.
Hitting the pocket every time is the key to a high score.
Note
18
nounAustraliacountable
A piece of land with a river curving around most of it.
Like a yard wrapped on three sides by a curving stream.
The farm sat in a green pocket formed by the river's bend.
They built a cabin in the pocket where the river curves back.
Note
19
nouncountable
The part of a wave that has not broken yet and gives a surfer the most push.
Like the strongest part of a river, where the water pushes hardest.
She stayed in the pocket to keep her speed up.
Riding the pocket gives you the fastest run down the wave.
Similarcurl
Note
20
nouncountable
A small gap that opens up between a tooth and the gum next to it.
Like a tiny gap that opens between a fence post and the ground.
The dentist found a deep pocket beside one of her back teeth.
Cleaning the pocket helped the gum heal.
Note
21
nouncountable
An area of the field beside the goalposts, near each corner of the scoring end.
Like the corner of a soccer field, close to the goal but off to one side.
The player kicked the ball from the pocket near the goalposts.
He waited in the pocket for a chance to score.
Note
22
noun
A smooth, steady groove a drummer settles into while playing.
Like riding a bike so smoothly that pedaling feels automatic.
The drummer found the pocket and the whole band relaxed.
Once he settled into the pocket, the song felt effortless.
Similargroove
Note
23
nouncountable
A defensive spot behind the front line, where a player drops back after making a touch.
Like a backup player waiting behind the main one, ready to step in.
After the touch, she dropped back into the pocket.
He covered the pocket while his teammate moved up.
Note
24
nouncountable
A hole or space in a floor or wall that a movable board covers.
Like a hidden box under a floorboard you open by lifting a lid.
He lifted the board to reach the pocket under the floor.
Wires ran through a pocket hidden in the wall.
Similarrecess, hatch
Note
25
nouncountable
A strip of canvas sewn onto a sail to hold a batten or thin pole.
Like a long thin sleeve sewn on cloth to slide a stick into.
The sailmaker sewed a pocket along the sail to hold the batten.
Each pocket kept a thin pole in place across the sail.
Similarsleeve
Note
26
verbdatedtransitive
To accept something annoying or unfair without complaining about it.
Like swallowing something bitter instead of spitting it out.
He had to pocket the insult and keep working.
As long as the house suffered the practice to prevail, they must submit to pocket the insult of being told that it existed.
1810, Great Britain. Parliament, The Parliamentary RegisterHere, pocket means to put up with something without complaining.
Similarswallow, accept, stomach, endure, tolerate
Oppositeprotest, challenge
Note
27
nouncountable
A small curved bay along a stretch of coast that the wind blows onto.
Like a dip in a wall where the wind keeps pushing things into the corner.
The wind drove the small boat into a pocket along the shore.
Sailors feared the pocket because the wind kept pushing ships toward the rocks.
Similarbight, cove
28
nouncountable
A large bag or sack once used to pack goods like hops or wool.
Like a giant sack as heavy as a grown man.
The merchant loaded a heavy pocket of hops onto the cart.
Each pocket held enough wool to fill a small room.
Similarsack, bag, bale
Note

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of pocket apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

It comes from Middle English pocket, meaning "bag" or "sack." This came through Old French from a Frankish word for "pouch."