pock·et (p?k??t)n.1. A small baglike attachment forming part of a garment and used to carry small articles, as a flat pouch sewn inside a pair of pants or a piece of material sewn on its sides and bottom to the outside of a shirt.2. A small sack or bag.3. A receptacle, cavity, or opening.4. Financial means; money supply: The cost of the trip must come out of your own pocket.5. a. A small cavity in the earth, especially one containing ore.b. A small body or accumulation of ore.6. A pouch in an animal body, such as the cheek pouch of a rodent or the abdominal pouch of a marsupial.7. Games One of the pouchlike receptacles at the corners and sides of a billiard or pool table.8. Sports The webbing attached to the head of a lacrosse stick, in which the ball is caught and held.9. Baseball The deepest part of a baseball glove, just below the web, where the ball is normally caught.10. Sports A racing position in which a contestant has no room to pass a group of contestants immediately to his or her front or side.11. a. A small, isolated, or protected area or group: pockets of dissatisfied voters.b. Football The area a few yards behind the line of scrimmage that blockers attempt to keep clear so that the quarterback can pass the ball.12. An air pocket.13. A bin for storing ore, grain, or other materials.adj.1. Suitable for or capable of being carried in one’s pocket: a pocket handkerchief; a pocket edition of a dictionary.2. Small; miniature: a pocket backyard; a pocket museum.3. Designating the two cards that are dealt to a player face down in Texas hold’em: was holding pocket eights.tr.v. pock·et·ed, pock·et·ing, pock·ets 1. To place in a pocket: pocketed her key.2. To take possession of for oneself, especially dishonestly: pocketed the receipts from the charity dance.3. a. To accept or tolerate (an insult, for example).b. To conceal or suppress: I pocketed my pride and asked for a raise.4. To prevent (a bill) from becoming law by failing to sign until the adjournment of the legislature.5. Sports To hem in (a competitor) in a race.6. Games To hit (a ball) into a pocket of a pool or billiard table.Idioms: in (one’s) pocket In one’s power, influence, or possession: The defendant had the jury in his pocket. in pocket1. Having funds.2. Having gained or retained funds of a specified amount: was a hundred dollars in pocket after a day at the races. out of pocket1. Out of one’s own resources: fees paid out of pocket.2. Without funds or assets: a traveler who was caught out of pocket.3. In a state of having experienced a loss, especially a financial one.[Middle English, pouch, small bag, from Anglo-Norman pokete, diminutive of Old North French poke, bag, of Germanic origin.]pock?et·a·ble adj.pock?et·less adj.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.pocket (?p?k?t) n1. (Clothing & Fashion) a small bag or pouch in a garment for carrying small articles, money, etc2. any bag or pouch or anything resembling this3. (Mining & Quarrying) a. a cavity or hollow in the earth, etc, such as one containing gold or other oreb. the ore in such a place4. a small enclosed or isolated area: a pocket of resistance. 5. (Billiards & Snooker) billiards snooker any of the six holes with pouches or nets let into the corners and sides of a billiard table6. (General Sporting Terms) a position in a race in which a competitor is hemmed in7. (Australian Rules Football) Australian rules football a player in one of two side positions at the ends of the ground: back pocket; forward pocket. 8. South African a bag or sack of vegetables or fruit9. in one’s pocket under one’s control10. (Banking & Finance) in pocket having made a profit, as after a transaction11. (Rugby) in the pocket rugby (of a fly half) in an attacking position slightly further back from play than normal, making himself available for a drop goal attempt12. (Banking & Finance) out of pocket having made a loss, as after a transaction13. line one’s pockets to make money, esp by dishonesty when in a position of trust14. (modifier) suitable for fitting in a pocket; small: a pocket edition. 15. (modifier) poker slang denoting a pair formed from the two private cards dealt to a player in a game of Texas hold ’em: pocket queens. vb (tr) , -ets, -eting or -eted16. to put into one’s pocket17. to take surreptitiously or unlawfully; steal18. (usually passive) to enclose or confine in or as if in a pocket19. to receive (an insult, injury, etc) without retaliating20. to conceal or keep back (feelings): he pocketed his pride and accepted help. 21. (Billiards & Snooker) billiards snooker to drive (a ball) into a pocket22. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) US (esp of the President) to retain (a bill) without acting on it in order to prevent it from becoming law. See also pocket veto23. (General Sporting Terms) to hem in (an opponent), as in racing[C15: from Anglo-Norman poket a little bag, from poque bag, from Middle Dutch poke poke2, bag; related to French poche pocket] ?pocketable adj ?pocketless adjCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014pock?et (?p?k ?t) n. 1. a shaped piece of fabric attached inside or outside a garment and forming a pouch used esp. for carrying small articles. 2. means; financial resources: gifts to suit every pocket. 3. a bag or pouch. 4. any pouchlike receptacle, compartment, or cavity. 5. an isolated group, area, or element contrasted with a surrounding element or group: pockets of resistance. 6. a small, well-defined mass of ore, frequently isolated. 7. any of the pouches at the corners and sides of a pool table. 8. a position in which a competitor in a race is so hemmed in by others that his or her progress is impeded. 9. Football. the area from which a quarterback throws a pass, usu. a short distance behind the line of scrimmage and protected by a wall of blockers. 10. Bowling. the space between the headpin and the pin next behind to the left or right, taken as the target for a strike. 11. Baseball. the deepest part of a mitt or glove, roughly the center of the palm, where most balls are caught. 12. a recess, as in a wall, for receiving a sliding door, sash weights, etc. 13. air pocket. adj. 14. small enough for carrying in the pocket: a pocket calculator. 15. relatively small; small-scale: a pocket war. v.t. 16. to put into one’s pocket: to pocket one’s keys. 17. to take as one’s own, often dishonestly; appropriate: to pocket public funds. 18. to endure without protest: to pocket an insult. 19. to conceal or suppress: to pocket one’s pride. 20. to enclose; confine; hem in or as if in a pocket: The town was pocketed in a small valley. 21. to drive (a ball) into the pocket of a pool table. 22. to retain (a legislative bill) without action and thus prevent from becoming a law. Idioms: 1. in someone’s pocket, completely under someone’s influence. 2. line one’s pockets, to profit, esp. at the expense of others. 3. out of pocket, having suffered a financial loss; poorer. [1250?1300; Middle English poket