Pocket (noun) Definition, Meaning & Examples

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.
means; financial resources: The store carried a selection of gifts to fit every pocket.
any pouchlike receptacle, compartment, hollow, or cavity.
an envelope, receptacle, etc., usually of heavy paper and open at one end, used for storing or preserving photographs, stamps, phonograph records, etc.: Each album has 12 pockets.
a recess, as in a wall, for receiving a sliding door, sash weights, etc.
any isolated group, area, element, etc., contrasted, as in status or condition, with a surrounding element or group: pockets of resistance; a pocket of poverty in the central city.
Mining.

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.
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.
the space between the headpin and the pin next behind to the left or right, taken as the target for a strike.
the deepest part of a mitt or glove, roughly in the area around the center of the palm, where most balls are caught.
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.
any saclike cavity in the body: a pus pocket.
stage pocket.
an English unit of weight for hops equivalent to 168 pounds (76.4 kilograms).

adjective

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.
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.
to drive (a ball) into a pocket.
pocket-veto.
to hem in (a contestant) so as to impede progress, as in racing.

Idioms

in one's possession; under one's influence: He has the audience in his pocket.
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 thousand dollars out of pocket.
lacking money.
not available; unreachable: I'll be out of pocket all afternoon.

noun

a small enclosed or isolated area
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
a player in one of two side positions at the ends of the ground
a bag or sack of vegetables or fruit
under one's control
having made a profit, as after a transaction
(of a fly half) in an attacking position slightly further back from play than normal, making himself available for a drop goal attempt
having made a loss, as after a transaction
to make money, esp by dishonesty when in a position of trust
suitable for fitting in a pocket; small
denoting a pair formed from the two private cards dealt to a player in a game of Texas hold 'em

verb -ets, -eting or -eted (tr)

to put into one's pocket
to take surreptitiously or unlawfully; steal
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)
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
to hem in (an opponent), as in racing