Pocket — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb adjective /ˈpä-kət/ pock·et

Meaning & Definition of Pocket

Pocket (noun)

  1. a small bag carried by a person, purse
  2. a small bag that is sewed or inserted in a garment so that it is open at the top or side
  3. supply of money, means

Pocket (verb)

  1. to put or enclose in or as if in one's pocket
  2. to appropriate to one's own use, steal
  3. to refuse assent to (a bill) by a pocket veto

Pocket (adjective)

  1. small enough to be carried in the pocket
  2. small, miniature
  3. of or relating to money

Pocket (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to take (something) without right and with an intent to keep

    "she casually pocketed the note from his desk to read later"

    similar: appropriate, boost (slang), filch, heist, hook, lift, misappropriate, nick (British slang), nip, pilfer, pinch, purloin, rip off, snitch, steal, swipe, thieve, make away with, make off with, run off with, walk off with
    related: burglarize, knock over, rob, loot, pillage, plunder, sack, carjack, hijack, pick, rifle, poach, rustle, shoplift, collar, grab, grasp, nail, seize, snatch, take, mooch, sponge, abduct, kidnap, shanghai, spirit
    near: buy, purchase, bestow, contribute, donate, give, hand over, present

  2. to refrain from openly showing or uttering

    "pocketed my anger and just let the insult pass"

    similar: choke (back), hold back, repress, sink, smother, stifle, strangle, submerge, suppress, swallow
    related: control, govern, manage, bridle, check, curb, quash, quell, bottle up, contain, muffle, squelch
    near: express, loose, release, take out, unleash, vent

  3. to put up with (something painful or difficult)

    "pocketed his wife's messy habits"

    similar: abide, absorb, accept, bear, bide (chiefly dialect), brook, countenance, endure, go, hack, handle, meet, stand, stick out, stomach, support, sustain, sweat out, take, tolerate, wear (British), live with, lump (it), stand for, tough it out
    related: allow, permit, suffer, swallow, reconcile (to), acquiesce, agree (with or to), assent (to), capitulate, consent (to), respect, submit (to), yield (to)
    near: decline, dismiss, refuse, reject, repudiate, spurn, turn down, combat, contest, fight, oppose, resist, avoid, bypass, circumvent, dodge, elude, escape, evade, miss, abstain (from), forbear, refrain (from)

Pocket (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. of a size that is less than average

    "a pocket dictionary"

    similar: bantam, diminutive, dinky, dwarfish, fine, half-pint, Lilliputian, little, pint-size, pocket-size, puny, pygmy, shrimpy, slight, small, smallish, subnormal, toylike, undersized
    related: dwarf, toy, runtish, runty, scrubby, stunted, bitty, inappreciable, infinitesimal, little bitty, micro, microscopic, mini, miniature, miniaturized, minikin, minim, minuscule, minute, pinpoint, teensy, teensy-weensy, teeny, teeny-weeny, tiny, wee, weeny, meager, poor, scant, scanty, scarce, skimp, skimpy, slender, slim, spare, sparse, stingy, deficient, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, wanting, bite-size, capsule
    opposite: big, biggish, considerable, goodly, grand, great, handsome, husky, king-size, large, largish, outsize, overscale, oversize, sizable, substantial, tidy, whacking, whopping
    near: bulky, hefty, hulking, massive, voluminous, boxcar, Brobdingnagian, Bunyanesque, cavernous, colossal, cyclopean, elephantine, enormous, galactic, gargantuan, giant, gigantic, gross, Himalayan, herculean, heroic, huge, humongous, immense, jumbo, leviathan, mammoth, monolithic, monstrous, monumental, mountainous, pharaonic, prodigious, staggering, stupendous, titanic, tremendous, vast, abundant, ample, appreciable, bountiful, copious, generous, healthy, liberal, plenteous, plentiful, fat, thick, broad, wide, boundless, cosmic, immeasurable, incalculable, infinite, adequate, enough, sufficient

  2. of or relating to money, banking, or investments

    "his pocket involvement in the company was minimal"

    similar: dollars-and-cents, financial, fiscal, monetary, pecuniary
    related: capitalist, commercial, economic
    opposite: noneconomic, nonfinancial, nonmonetary

Pocket (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. available money

    "the fancy sports car I wanted to buy for myself was beyond my pocket"

    similar: bankroll, coffers, exchequer, finances, fund, resources, wherewithal
    related: bread (slang), cash, chips, currency, dough, gold, jack (slang), legal tender, lucre, pelf, scratch (slang), tender, wampum, assets, capital, deep pockets, fortune, means, opulence, riches, roll, substance, wealth, purse, treasury, cash flow, financing
    near: debts, liabilities, indebtedness

Related Entry: Pocket-size (adjective)

Pocket-size is a different word from Pocket. The synonyms below are for pocket-size, not for pocket.

  1. of a size that is less than average

    "a pocket-size country in the Pyrenees"

    similar: bantam, diminutive, dinky, dwarfish, fine, half-pint, Lilliputian, little, pint-size, pocket, puny, pygmy, shrimpy, slight, small, smallish, subnormal, toylike, undersized
    related: dwarf, toy, runtish, runty, scrubby, stunted, bitty, inappreciable, infinitesimal, little bitty, micro, microscopic, mini, miniature, miniaturized, minikin, minim, minuscule, minute, pinpoint, teensy, teensy-weensy, teeny, teeny-weeny, tiny, wee, weeny, meager, poor, scant, scanty, scarce, skimp, skimpy, slender, slim, spare, sparse, stingy, deficient, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, wanting, bite-size, capsule
    opposite: big, biggish, considerable, goodly, grand, great, handsome, husky, king-size, large, largish, outsize, overscale, oversize, sizable, substantial, tidy, whacking, whopping
    near: bulky, hefty, hulking, massive, voluminous, boxcar, Brobdingnagian, Bunyanesque, cavernous, colossal, cyclopean, elephantine, enormous, galactic, gargantuan, giant, gigantic, gross, Himalayan, herculean, heroic, huge, humongous, immense, jumbo, leviathan, mammoth, monolithic, monstrous, monumental, mountainous, pharaonic, prodigious, staggering, stupendous, titanic, tremendous, vast, abundant, ample, appreciable, bountiful, copious, generous, healthy, liberal, plenteous, plentiful, fat, thick, broad, wide, boundless, cosmic, immeasurable, incalculable, infinite, adequate, enough, sufficient

Related Entry: Pocket book (noun)

Pocket book is a different word from Pocket. The synonyms below are for pocket book, not for pocket.

  1. as in paper, pocket edition

    similar: hardback, hardcover, paper, paperback, paperbound, pocket edition, softback, softcover, trade book, trade edition, book, tome, volume, folio, quarto, guidebook, handbook, how-to, manual, catalog, cyclopedia, dictionary, encyclopedia, monograph, primer, text, textbook, tract, treatise, novel, novelette, pulp, album, almanac, anthology, casebook, chapbook, omnibus, picture book

Related Entry: Pocket books (noun)

Pocket books is a different word from Pocket. The synonyms below are for pocket books, not for pocket.

  1. as in papers, pocket editions

    similar: hardbacks, hardcovers, paperbacks, paperbounds, papers, pocket editions, softbacks, softcovers, trade books, trade editions, books, tomes, volumes, folios, quartos, guidebooks, handbooks, how-tos, manuals, catalogs, cyclopedias, dictionaries, encyclopedias, monographs, primers, textbooks, texts, tracts, treatises, novelettes, novels, pulps, albums, almanacs, anthologies, casebooks, chapbooks, omnibuses, picture books

Related Entry: Pocket edition (noun)

Pocket edition is a different word from Pocket. The synonyms below are for pocket edition, not for pocket.

  1. as in paper, trade edition

    similar: hardback, hardcover, paper, paperback, paperbound, pocket book, softback, softcover, trade book, trade edition, book, tome, volume, folio, quarto, guidebook, handbook, how-to, manual, catalog, cyclopedia, dictionary, encyclopedia, monograph, primer, text, textbook, tract, treatise, novel, novelette, pulp, album, almanac, anthology, casebook, chapbook, omnibus, picture book

  2. as in dwarf, mini

    similar: dwarf, midget, mini, pygmy, carbon, carbon copy, clone, copy, dummy, dupe, duplicate, duplication, facsimile, imitation, mock, reduplication, replica, replication, reproduction, miniature, model
    opposite: archetype, original, prototype, blowup, enlargement

Related Entry: Pocket editions (noun)

Pocket editions is a different word from Pocket. The synonyms below are for pocket editions, not for pocket.

  1. as in papers, trade editions

    similar: hardbacks, hardcovers, paperbacks, paperbounds, papers, pocket books, softbacks, softcovers, trade books, trade editions, books, tomes, volumes, folios, quartos, guidebooks, handbooks, how-tos, manuals, catalogs, cyclopedias, dictionaries, encyclopedias, monographs, primers, textbooks, texts, tracts, treatises, novelettes, novels, pulps, albums, almanacs, anthologies, casebooks, chapbooks, omnibuses, picture books

  2. as in dwarfs, minis

    similar: dwarfs, midgets, minis, pygmies, carbon copies, carbons, clones, copies, dummies, dupes, duplicates, duplications, facsimiles, imitations, mocks, reduplications, replicas, replications, reproductions, miniatures, models
    opposite: archetypes, originals, prototypes, blowups, enlargements

Related Entry: Pocket money (noun)

Pocket money is a different word from Pocket. The synonyms below are for pocket money, not for pocket.

  1. as in petty cash, spending money

    similar: petty cash, spending money, chicken feed (slang), chump change, dime, hay, mite, peanuts, pin money, pittance, shoestring, song, two cents
    opposite: big buck(s), boodle, bundle, fortune, king's ransom, megabuck(s), mint, wad, bankroll, capital, funds, means, wherewithal, opulence, pelf, riches, treasure, wealth, heap, pile, pot, bonanza, mine, treasure trove, treasury

Related Entry: Pocket moneys (noun)

Pocket moneys is a different word from Pocket. The synonyms below are for pocket moneys, not for pocket.

  1. as in spending moneys

    similar: spending moneys, outflows, prices, rates, tabs, tariffs, tolls, overheads, charges, costs, disbursements, expenditures, expenses, outgoes, outlays

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Pocket

The most common words with a similar meaning to Pocket:

Slang: boost
British slang: nick
Chiefly dialect: bide
British: wear
appropriate, filch, heist, hook, lift, misappropriate, nip, pilfer, pinch, purloin, rip off, snitch, steal, swipe, thieve, choke (back), hold back, repress, sink, smother, stifle, strangle, submerge, suppress, swallow, abide, absorb, accept, bear, brook, countenance, endure, go, hack, handle, meet, stand, stick out, stomach, support

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Pocket

Words with the opposite meaning of Pocket:

big, biggish, considerable, goodly, grand, great, handsome, husky, king-size, large, largish, outsize, overscale, oversize, sizable, substantial, tidy, whacking, whopping, noneconomic, nonfinancial, nonmonetary

Related Words for Pocket

burglarize, knock over, rob, loot, pillage, plunder, sack, carjack, hijack, pick, rifle, poach, rustle, shoplift, collar, grab, grasp, nail, seize, snatch, mooch, sponge, abduct, kidnap, shanghai, spirit, control, govern, manage, bridle

Near Antonyms of Pocket

buy, purchase, bestow, contribute, donate, give, hand over, present, express, loose, release, take out, unleash, vent, decline, dismiss, refuse, reject, repudiate, spurn, turn down, combat, contest, fight, oppose, resist, avoid, bypass, circumvent, dodge

Word Forms of Pocket

Inflections: pocketed, pocketing, pockets

Derived words: pocketful (noun), pocketable (adjective)

Origin & Etymology of Pocket

Middle English poket, from Anglo-French poket, pochete, diminutive of poke, pouche bag pouch

First known use: 15th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Pocket

Words & Phrases Containing Pocket

pocket battleship, pocket billiards, pocket borough, pocket edition, pocket gopher, pocket money, pocket mouse

Frequently Asked Questions about Pocket

What does "Pocket" mean?

"Pocket" means a small bag carried by a person, purse. As an a noun, a verb and an adjective, it is defined as: a small bag carried by a person, purse. It has 6 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Pocket"?

Other words for "Pocket" include appropriate, boost, filch, heist, hook, lift, misappropriate and nick. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Pocket" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Pocket"?

There are 213 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Pocket". Common alternatives include appropriate, boost, filch, heist, hook, lift, misappropriate, nick, nip and pilfer.

What is the opposite of "Pocket"?

Antonyms of "Pocket" include big, biggish, considerable, goodly, grand, great, handsome and husky. Near antonyms include buy, purchase, bestow and contribute.

How do you use "Pocket" in a sentence?

Examples of "Pocket" in a sentence: "she casually pocketed the note from his desk to read later"; "pocketed my anger and just let the insult pass"; "pocketed his wife's messy habits".

Is "Pocket" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Pocket" can be used as a noun, a verb and an adjective, depending on the context.

Is "Pocket" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A2-level word, "Pocket" is typical of Cambridge A2 Key (KET), PTE Academic 30–42, TOEIC Listening & Reading 225+.

How do you pronounce "Pocket"?

"Pocket" is pronounced /ˈpä-kət/ and divided into syllables as pock·et.