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[ pok-it ]
noun
- a shaped piece of fabric attached inside or outside a garment and forming a pouch used especially for carrying small articles.
- a bag or pouch.
- any pouchlike receptacle, compartment, hollow, or cavity:
Steam creates little pockets in the dough as it bakes.
He put the water bottle back in its pocket on his backpack.
- an envelope, flat receptacle, etc., open at one end, used for storing something thin:
Each mini photo album has 12 pockets.
There are pockets in the front and back of the binder for loose notes.
- a recess, as in a wall, for receiving a sliding door, sash weights, etc.
- any isolated group, area, element, etc., that contrasts with a surrounding element or group:
After the rebellion was put down, there were still pockets of resistance in some parts of the country.
We biked through a pocket of cooler air sheltered by trees.
- level of financial resources:
The store carried a selection of gifts to fit every pocket.
- Mining.
- a small mass of ore, frequently isolated.
- a bin for ore or rock storage.
- a raise or small slope fitted with chute gates.
- Billiards, Pool. any of the pouches or bags at the corners and sides of the table.
- a position in which a competitor in a race is so hemmed in by others that their progress is impeded.
- Football. the area from which a quarterback throws a pass, usually a short distance behind the line of scrimmage and protected by a wall of blockers.
- Bowling. the space between the headpin and the pin next behind to the left or right, taken as the target for a strike.
- Baseball. the deepest part of a mitt or glove, roughly in the area around the center of the palm, where most balls are caught.
- Nautical. a holder consisting of a strip of sailcloth sewed to a sail, and containing a thin wooden batten that stiffens the leech of the sail.
- Anatomy. any saclike cavity in the body:
a pus pocket.
- an English unit of weight for hops equivalent to 168 pounds (76.4 kilograms).
adjective
- small enough or suitable for carrying in the pocket:
a pocket watch.
- relatively small; smaller than usual:
a pocket war;
a pocket country.
verb (used with object)
- to put into one's pocket:
She pocketed her keys and headed out.
- to take possession of as one's own, often dishonestly:
The mayor was found guilty of pocketing public funds.
Synonyms: , , ,
- to submit to or endure without protest or open resentment:
She can't be expected to pocket an insult like that.
- to conceal or suppress:
If you want to make it in this industry, you'll have to pocket your pride.
- to enclose or confine in or as if in a pocket:
The town was pocketed in a small valley.
- Billiards, Pool. to drive (a ball) into a pocket.
- to hem in (a contestant) so as to impede progress, as in racing.
/ ˈɒɪ /
noun
- a small bag or pouch in a garment for carrying small articles, money, etc
- any bag or pouch or anything resembling this
- a cavity or hollow in the earth, etc, such as one containing gold or other ore
- the ore in such a place
- a small enclosed or isolated area
a pocket of resistance
- billiards snooker any of the six holes with pouches or nets let into the corners and sides of a billiard table
- a position in a race in which a competitor is hemmed in
- Australian rules football a player in one of two side positions at the ends of the ground
back pocket
forward pocket
- a bag or sack of vegetables or fruit
- in one's pocketunder one's control
- in pockethaving made a profit, as after a transaction
- in the pocketrugby (of a fly half) in an attacking position slightly further back from play than normal, making himself available for a drop goal attempt
- out of pockethaving made a loss, as after a transaction
- line one's pocketsto make money, esp by dishonesty when in a position of trust
- modifier suitable for fitting in a pocket; small
a pocket edition
- slang.modifier poker denoting a pair formed from the two private cards dealt to a player in a game of Texas hold 'em
pocket queens
verb
- to put into one's pocket
- to take surreptitiously or unlawfully; steal
- usually passive to enclose or confine in or as if in a pocket
- to receive (an insult, injury, etc) without retaliating
- to conceal or keep back (feelings)
he pocketed his pride and accepted help
- billiards snooker to drive (a ball) into a pocket
- (esp of the President) to retain (a bill) without acting on it in order to prevent it from becoming law See also pocket veto
- to hem in (an opponent), as in racing
Derived Forms
- ˈdzٱ, adjective
- ˈdzٲ, adjective
Other Word Forms
- dz·· adjective
- dz·· adjective
- ܲ·dz· verb (used with object)
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of pocket1
Idioms and Phrases
- in someone's pocket, in someone's possession; under someone's influence:
He has the audience in his pocket.
Some worry that the research agency is in the pocket of the pharmaceutical industry.
- line one's pockets, to profit, especially at the expense of others:
While millions were fighting and dying, the profiteers were lining their pockets.
- out of pocket,
- having suffered a financial loss; poorer:
He had made unwise land purchases, and found himself several hundred thousand dollars out of pocket.
- lacking money:
I’m out of pocket right now but can pay you next month.
- with one’s own money:
She had to pay for the procedure out of pocket, as it wasn’t covered by insurance.
- Informal. not available; unreachable:
I'll be out of pocket all afternoon.
- Informal. showing lack of restraint; being or going outside the bounds of acceptable behavior:
Getting so rowdy at your friend’s wedding was way out of pocket.
I know I was out of pocket, pressing him on such a sensitive issue.
More idioms and phrases containing pocket
- deep pockets
- in one's pocket
- in pocket
- line one's pockets
- money burns a hole in one's pocket
- out of pocket
Example Sentences
Coming to the Crucible is always special, but it became even more so for one fan as he pocketed £25,000 thanks to Allen's maximum.
His wages are likely to be out of reach for any Championship club, even those with the deepest pockets, so he will need to take a significant cut.
Thirty-three days after Aimee’s disappearance, her mother held a funeral service for her; 20,000 people attended, emptying their pockets in tribute.
The public’s purchasing power may not directly line Rowling’s pockets, but it has an impact nonetheless.
He had a chance for another century, only to falter at 85 after missing a red into the middle pocket.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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