pool

Pluralpools

Formspools, pooling, pooled

1. 1
   swimming placenounabbreviationellipsis

   Short for swimming pool: a large tank or basin filled with water for swimming.

   She swims laps in the pool every morning before work.

   The hotel pool was crowded by noon.

   UsageSwim in the pool, but meet at the pool for the place; near a river, swimming pool is clearer.

   Note

   The compound shortened to its head noun, as when swimming pool becomes simply the hotel pool. What the short form keeps is the sense of something built: a basin for swimming, usually artificial. That sets it apart from the spring-fed natural pool. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

   • Pool is a shortened form of swimming pool. en.wiktionary.org
2. 2
   natural waternouncountable

   A small, fairly deep body of water, usually fresh, such as one fed by a spring, formed in a stream or river, held as a reservoir, or left among rocks by the tide.

   A clear pool formed where the stream slowed between the rocks.

   The deer drank from a spring-fed pool at the edge of the forest.

   Similarpond

   Note

   The native English word, from Old English pōl and perhaps ultimately from a root meaning "bog, marsh". It survives in names such as the Pool of London and the pools of Solomon. Shakespeare's The Tempest gives it a darker side with "the filthy mantled pool". The pool of stakes and billiards is a different word altogether, told under the stakes in a game.

3. 3
   liquid patchnouncountable

   A small amount of water or other liquid that has collected on the ground or another surface, such as a puddle or a spill.

   Rain left a muddy pool in the middle of the path.

   A pool of oil spread across the garage floor under the old truck.

   UsageUsually a pool of + a liquid: a pool of oil, blood or rainwater.

   Similarpuddle

4. 4
   table gamenoununcountable

   Any of several games played with a cue and numbered balls on a table with six pockets, such as eight-ball or nine-ball; originally a billiards game played for a shared stake.

   We played pool at the bar until midnight.

   She racked the balls for another frame of pool.

   UsageWith no article: play pool, a game of pool, shoot pool.

   Note

   The game brings its own vocabulary to the table. The balls split into solids and stripes, the black one is the 8 ball, and the furniture is a pool table. Thackeray's The Book of Snobs (1848) has a man who "plays pool at the billiard-houses," alongside his cards and dominoes. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

   • Standard eight-ball object balls comprise solids, stripes, and a black 8 ball. en.wikipedia.org
   • Thackeray wrote The Book of Snobs, first published in book form in 1848. themorgan.org
   • The book describes a man who plays pool at billiard-houses and also plays cards and dominoes; the quoted wording is exact. gutenberg.org
5. 5
   available peoplenouncountable

   A group of people, or a supply of things such as money, equipment, or information, that is available to be drawn on, chosen from, or shared.

   The company drew from a large pool of skilled workers.

   Jurors are chosen from a pool of local residents.

   UsageUsually a pool of people or things, often large or limited, and you draw from or choose from it.

   Similarreserve, reservoir, supply

6. 6
   combine moneyverbtransitive

   To combine money, resources, or information with others for shared use or a common purpose.

   Several families pool their resources to rent the cabin together.

   The two firms pooled their data to train a shared model.

   UsageUsually with a possessive: pool our resources, pool their money; also pool something with someone.

   Similarcombine, share, merge, consolidate

   Note

   Elizabeth Drake's 2007 article describes two Rutgers scientists who decided "to pool their knowledge and join forces," and that pairing with joining forces is typical. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

   • Elizabeth Drake wrote the article in 2007. menshealth.com
   • The article describes two Rutgers scientists. en.wiktionary.org
   • Drake's article says the scientists decided to pool their knowledge and join forces, using the quoted wording. menshealth.com
7. 7
   form a puddleverbintransitive

   Of a liquid, to gather and collect into a pool.

   Water tends to pool wherever the ground dips.

   Oil pooled beneath the leaking engine overnight.

   UsageThe liquid is the subject, often with a place: water pools in hollows, oil pooled beneath the engine.

   Similarcollect, gather, accumulate

   Oppositedrain

8. 8
   group stagenouncountable

   A group of teams or competitors in a tournament who compete only against each other during one stage, such as a group stage or a fencing round.

   New Zealand topped their pool with four straight wins.

   The draw placed the host nation in a pool alongside two former champions.

   UsageTeams are drawn into a pool and try to top their pool.

   Similargroup

   Note

   Rugby union's word for what other tournaments call a group: teams are drawn into a pool and try to top it. Fencing uses the word the same way for a round of individual bouts. In many formats, the rule is separation: while the stage lasts, no team plays outside its own pool. Source

   Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

   • Some rugby union formats permit matches between pools: United Rugby Championship clubs play opponents outside their geographical pool during the league stage. unitedrugby.com
9. 9
   betting groupnouncountable

   An arrangement in which several people or businesses combine their money, property, or earnings for a shared purpose, such as betting, investing, controlling prices, or dividing profits; also, the total amount put in.

   A group of investors formed a pool to finance the mining operation.

   Each member of the betting pool contributed fifty dollars before the race.

   UsageOften with a word in front: a betting pool, an office pool; you join a pool or put money into it.

   Similarsyndicate, consortium, fund

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