US /ˈpɑ.kɪt/ UK /ˈpɒk.ɪt/
noun Freq #1900

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    A small bag sewn into clothing for carrying small things.

    My trousers had four pockets, two at the front and two at the back.

  2. 2
    noun

    The money a person has available to spend.

    A holiday like that is well beyond my pocket.

  3. 3
    noun

    A small, separate area or group within a larger one.

    There are still a few pockets of resistance in the city.

  4. 4
    noun

    One of the openings at the edge of a pool or billiard table that the balls fall into.

    He sank three balls in the far-right pocket.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
backfield
Word family
Forms pocketedpocketfulpocketingpockets
Derived forms back-pocketforepockethindpockethip-pocketimpocketmicropocketone-pocketout-of-pocketpick-pocketpocket-bookpocket-callpocket-dial
Related forms bagpokepouchpursesack

Common collocations

Etymology

From Middle English pocket (“bag, sack”), from Anglo-Norman poket, Old Northern French poquet, poquete, diminutive of poque, poke (“bag, sack”) (compare modern Norman pouquette and modern French pochette from Old French pochete, from puche), from Frankish *pokō (“pouch”), from Proto-Germanic *pukkô, *pukô (“bag; pouch”), from Proto-Indo-European *bew- (“to blow, swell”). Equivalent to poke + -et. Doublet of pochette. Cognate with Middle Dutch poke, Alemannic German Pfoch (“purse, bag”), Old English pocca, pohha (“poke, pouch, pocket, bag”), Old Norse poki (“bag, pocket”). Compare the related p…

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