# pocket

Pronunciation: say "PO-kit" US /ˈpɑ.kɪt/, UK /ˈpɒ.kɪt/; AUS say "PAW-kit" /ˈpɔ.kɪt/

## Noun

1. A small bag sewn into a piece of clothing, used for carrying small items.
   - Simple: A small cloth bag sewn into clothes for holding little things.
   - _He always keeps his phone in his jacket pocket._
   - _The tailor added two pockets to the inside of the coat._
3. The money and financial means available to a person.
   - Simple: The money that a person has to spend.
   - _The repair costs came out of her own pocket._
   - _Luxury cars like that are well beyond the average pocket._
5. A small, isolated group or area separated from those around it.
   - Simple: A small group or area that is separate from the rest.
   - _Scattered pockets of resistance remained in the hills._
   - _The survey found a pocket of strong support in the rural north._
8. A space filled with one substance and closed in on all sides by another, such as gas trapped in rock.
   - Simple: An amount of one material closed inside another.
   - _Miners struck a pocket of natural gas deep underground._
   - _Pockets of warm air rose through the cooler atmosphere._
9. One of the netted openings at the corners and sides of a pool or snooker table, into which the balls are struck.
   - Simple: One of the holes at the edge of a pool table where balls fall in.
   - _She sank the eight ball in the corner pocket to win the game._
   - _Two balls dropped into the same pocket on the break._
11. The pouch forming part of an animal's body.
   - Simple: A pouch that is part of an animal's body.
   - _The joey peered out from the pocket on its mother's belly._
   - _Some rodents store food in a pocket inside each cheek._
12. An area in which military units are completely surrounded by enemy forces.
   - Simple: An area where soldiers are completely surrounded by the enemy.
   - _Two divisions were caught in a pocket east of the city._
   - _The encircled troops held the pocket for nearly three weeks._
13. The area behind the line of scrimmage, protected by the offensive line, where the quarterback stands to pass.
   - Simple: The protected space where the quarterback stands to throw the ball.
   - _He stood tall in the pocket and found his receiver downfield._
   - _Pressure collapsed the pocket, forcing him to scramble._
14. A socket that receives and holds the base of a post, stake, or similar upright.
   - Simple: A hole or socket that holds the bottom of a post or stake.
   - _The umbrella stand has a deep pocket to hold the pole steady._
   - _Builders left pockets in the masonry to seat the floor joists._
15. A cavity in rock that holds a nugget of gold or another mineral, or the small body of ore found there.
   - Simple: A small hole in rock that holds a piece of gold or other mineral.
   - _Prospectors traced the seam until it opened into a pocket rich with gold._
   - _The geologist marked each pocket of ore on the survey map._
17. The ideal point where the bowling ball strikes the pins to knock them all down.
   - Simple: The best spot on the bowling pins to hit the ball for a strike.
   - _A ball that enters the pocket cleanly usually carries all ten pins._
   - _He adjusted his angle to find the pocket more consistently._
18. An area of land enclosed on most sides by a loop or bend of a river. *(Australia)*
   - Simple: A piece of land with a river curving around most of it.
   - _The settlers farmed a fertile pocket ringed by the winding river._
   - _A narrow pocket of land jutted into the river's wide loop._
19. In surfing, the part of a wave that has not yet broken and gives the surfer the most power.
   - Simple: The part of a wave that has not broken yet and gives a surfer the most push.
   - _The surfer tucked into the pocket as the wave steepened._
   - _Staying in the pocket let him generate speed for the next maneuver._
20. A small space between a tooth and the gum beside it, formed when the two pull abnormally apart.
   - Simple: A small gap that opens up between a tooth and the gum next to it.
   - _The hygienist measured the pocket around each tooth during the exam._
   - _A deepening pocket can be an early sign of gum disease._
21. The roughly defined area of the field to the side of the goalposts, one at each corner of the scoring zones, reaching about 30 meters out from the behind post.
   - Simple: An area of the field beside the goalposts, near each corner of the scoring end.
   - _The small forward roamed the pocket, looking for a snap at goal._
   - _She marked the ball deep in the pocket and played on quickly._
22. A state of steady, satisfying rhythm that a drummer reaches when the groove locks in.
   - Simple: A smooth, steady groove a drummer settles into while playing.
   - _She locked into the pocket and held the groove all night._
   - _A good drummer keeps the band anchored deep in the pocket._
23. The position, filled by a second defending middle, that an advanced middle falls back into once they have touched the attacking middle.
   - Simple: A defensive spot behind the front line, where a player drops back after making a touch.
   - _The defender slid into the pocket as soon as he made the touch._
   - _Holding the pocket lets the front defender press the attacker safely._
24. A hole or space, as in a floor or partition, that is covered by a movable piece of board.
   - Simple: A hole or space in a floor or wall that a movable board covers.
   - _The carpenter cut a pocket into the floor and fitted a removable cover._
   - _A small pocket behind the panel gave access to the pipes._
25. A strip of canvas sewn onto a sail, forming a slot where a batten or light spar can be placed.
   - Simple: A strip of canvas sewn onto a sail to hold a batten or thin pole.
   - _She slid a fresh batten into the pocket near the leech of the sail._
   - _A torn pocket let the spar slip out during the race._
27. A bight, or curving indentation of the coast, lying on a lee shore: the side toward which the wind is blowing.
   - Simple: A small curved bay along a stretch of coast that the wind blows onto.
   - _The schooner was caught in a pocket as the gale drove it toward the coast._
   - _Charts warned of a treacherous pocket on the lee shore, where many vessels had foundered._
28. A large bag or sack formerly used for packing goods such as ginger, hops, or wool, with a pocket of wool weighing about 168 pounds.
   - Simple: A large bag or sack once used to pack goods like hops or wool.
   - _Workers hauled a bulging pocket of ginger from the ship's hold._
   - _The warehouse stored dozens of pockets packed tight with wool._

## Verb

2. To slip or put something away in one's pocket.
   - Simple: To put or slip something into a pocket.
   - _She pocketed her phone before stepping into the meeting._
   - _Always pocket your wallet in a crowded market._
4. To take something that belongs to someone else, especially money, and keep it for oneself. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To take money or things that are not yours and keep them.
   - _He quietly pocketed the tips meant for the whole staff._
   - _Dishonest clerks pocket the difference whenever they can._
10. To send a ball into one of the pockets of a pool or snooker table, completing the shot.
   - Simple: To knock a ball into a hole on a pool table.
   - _He pocketed the final black to clinch the frame._
   - _A skilled player can pocket several balls in a single visit._

## Adjective

6. Of a size small enough to be carried in a pocket.
   - Simple: Small enough to fit inside a pocket.
   - _A pocket calculator fit easily inside his shirt._
   - _These pocket editions are popular with travelers._
7. Smaller or more compact than is usual for its kind.
   - Simple: Smaller or more compact than the usual size.
   - _The navy built a pocket battleship during the 1930s._
   - _She runs a pocket version of a full theater company._
16. Of a card or pair, belonging to the two hole cards a player is dealt face down at the start of a hand.
   - Simple: Describing a card or pair that comes from your two starting face-down cards.
   - _A pocket pair of kings gives a strong starting hand before the flop._
   - _He went all in the moment he saw his pocket aces._

## Verb

26. To put up with something difficult, accepting it without protest or complaint. *(dated)*
   - Simple: To accept something annoying or unfair without complaining about it.
   - _Rather than argue, he chose to pocket the criticism quietly._
   - _She pocketed the slight and carried on as if nothing had happened._

## Origin

From Middle English pocket ("bag, sack"), which came through Anglo-Norman poket, a diminutive of poque or poke ("bag, sack"). This traces back to Frankish *pokō ("pouch") and ultimately to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to blow, swell." It is related to the word poke ("sack or bag").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/pocket (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).