Meaning of pocket In English

• 0 a small bag for carrying things in, made of cloth and sewn into the inside or onto the outside of a piece of clothing:

  • a jacket/trouser/coat pocket

  • a hip/breast pocket

  • She thrust her hands deep in/into her pockets.

  • He took some coins from/out of his pocket.

  • Sarah put her maps in the outside pocket of her rucksack.

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

  • You need deep pockets (= a lot of money) if you're involved in a long law suit.

  • I paid for my ticket out of my own pocket (= with my own money), but I can claim the cost of it back from my employer.

• 1 a group, area, or mass of something that is separate and different from what surrounds it:

  • Among the staff there are some pockets of resistance to the planned changes (= some small groups of them are opposed).

  • The pilot said that we were going to encounter a pocket of turbulence (= an area of violently moving air).

• 2 a space between the teeth and the gums (= the firm pink flesh inside the mouth, covering the bones into which the teeth are fixed) that can contain bacteria that cause disease :

  • Studies show that people with deep periodontal pockets between their teeth and gums should have them cleaned by a dental hygienist every 3-4 months.

  • In periodontitis, gums pull away from the teeth and form spaces (called “pockets”) that become infected.

• 3 to put something into your pocket:

  • He carefully pocketed his change.

  • Davis pocketed the black to win the game.

  • I'll tell them I sold it for £20, not £25, then I can pocket the rest.

• 4 used to describe something that is small enough to put in your pocket, or that you regularly carry in your pocket:

  • a pocket dictionary

  • a pocket diary

  • a pocket calculator

  • a pocket battleship

• 5 a small bag, usually made of cloth, sewn on the inside or outside of a piece of clothing and used to hold small objects:

  • coat/pants/shirt pockets

  • She took her keys out of her pocket.

  • I paid for my ticket out of my own pocket (= with my own money).

  • The map is in the pocket on the car door.

• 6 a small part of something larger that is considered separate because of a particular quality:

  • It remained a pocket of poverty within a generally affluent area.

• 7 small enough to be kept in a pocket:

  • a pocket diary

  • a pocket watch

• 8 to put something in your pocket, or (fig.) to take money esp. when it has been obtained unfairly or illegally:

  • He pocketed his change.

  • fig. Some sold nonexistent land and pocketed all the cash.

• 9 used to talk about the amount of money that a person or an organization has for spending:

  • come from/out of sb's pocket The cost of fixing flaws comes out of the contractor's pocket.

  • put cash/money into sb's pockets This is significant because it puts more cash into people's pockets.

  • He will have to dig deep into the taxpayer's pocket to finance the required investment in the country's rail infrastructure.

  • This is beyond the pockets of most homeowners.

• 10 a group, area, or part of something which is separate and different from what surrounds it:

  • Outside of manufacturing, there are pockets of our economy that continue to perform well.

• 11 to be under the control of a person, an organization, etc.:

  • At the heart of the scandal is the suggestion that supposedly independent brokers are in the pocket of the insurers which are theoretically competing.

• 12 a lot of money:

  • In this market, you need to have deep pockets.

  • The two companies will survive any downturn because of their large market shares, strong technology, and deep pockets.

• 13 using your own personal money, and not the money of a company or an organization:

  • Managers have donated €80,000 from their own pockets to help the company fund its campaign.

• 14 to make a person or an organization pay for something:

  • The shareholders have been hit in the pocket.

• 15 to get richer or make someone richer, especially by acting unfairly or by being dishonest:

  • He was not accused of lining his own pockets.

• 16 having less money than you had previously or should have, as a result of something such as a business deal:

  • The company is out of pocket to the tune of $18 million.

  • The limit on his pension would be irrespective of how fast prices are rising, meaning he could be out of pocket in real terms.

  • leave sb out of pocket Charities fear that an interruption to the lottery could leave them out of pocket.

  • According to the report, families are paying about $1,500 more out of pocket than six years ago

• 17 to spend money or give money to someone:

  • The landlord insisted that the tenant should put his hand in his pocket and pay for the repairs.

• 18 to earn or win an amount of money:

  • The company now pockets £44 million profit a year.

  • Even relatively junior traders were pocketing huge bonuses.

• 19 to take money for yourself in a dishonest way, especially when you are responsible for looking after it:

  • The two men were indicted for pocketing tens of millions of dollars.

• 20 to keep the extra money made from a financial deal, often in a dishonest way:

  • They purchased homes with loans above the asking price so they could pocket the difference.

• 21 relating to something that is small enough to be put or carried in your pocket:

  • a pocket computer/pager/PC

  • a pocket calculator/diary/organiser