I. pock ‧ et 1 S2 W2 /ˈpɒkət, ˈpɒkɪt $ ˈpɑː-/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Old North French ; Origin: pokete , from poke 'bag' ]
1 . IN CLOTHES a type of small bag in or on a coat, trousers etc that you can put money, keys etc in:
Luke came in with his hands in his pockets.
jacket/trouser etc pocket
The keys are in my trouser pocket.
pocket of
the inside pocket of his jacket
The policeman told me to turn out my pockets (=take everything out of them) .
2 . MONEY the amount of money that you have to spend:
There are eight hotels, with a price range to suit every pocket.
from/out of/into your own pocket
Dan had to pay for the repairs out of his own pocket.
He was accused of diverting some of the firm’s money into his own pocket.
The deepening recession has hit people’s pockets.
For investors with deep pockets (=a lot of money) , the Berlin property market is attractive.
3 . SMALL CONTAINER a small bag or piece of material fastened to something so that you can put things into it:
Please read the air safety card in the pocket of the seat in front.
4 . SMALL AREA/AMOUNT a small area or amount of something that is different from what surrounds it
pocket of
In some parts, there are still pockets of violence and unrest.
pockets of air inside the hull of the ship
5 . be in sb’s pocket to be controlled or strongly influenced by someone in authority, and willing to do whatever they want:
The judge was in the defense lawyer’s pocket.
6 . have something in your pocket to be certain to win something such as a competition or an election:
The Democrats had the election in their pocket.
7 . out of pocket especially British English informal if you are out of pocket, you have less money than you should have, especially as a result of making a mistake or being unlucky:
If he loses the deal, he’ll be badly out of pocket.
8 . be/live in each other’s pockets British English informal if two people are in each other’s pockets, they are together too much
9 .
GAME a small net on a ↑ pool , ↑ snooker , or ↑ billiard table, which you try to hit balls into ⇨ ↑ air pocket , ⇨ burn a hole in your pocket at ↑ burn 1 (17), ⇨ line your own pockets at ↑ line 2 (4), ⇨ pick sb’s pocket at ↑ pick 1 (14)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ put something in your pocket
I put the £5 note in my pocket.
▪ stuff/thrust something in your pocket (=put it there quickly and carelessly)
He took off his cap and stuffed it in his pocket.
▪ take something out of/from your pocket
Marcia took a pair of dark glasses out of her pocket.
▪ reach into your pocket (=put your hand into your pocket to find something)
"Do you want a cigarette?" he asked, reaching into his pocket.
▪ search your pocket (=look for something in your pocket)
I searched my pockets for my train ticket but it wasn't there.
▪ turn out/empty your pockets (=take everything out of your pockets in order to find something)
His mother made him turn out his pockets.
▪ dig in your pocket (=put your hand in your pocket to find something)
Boris dug in his pocket for his keys.
■ phrases
▪ with your hands in your pockets
I saw him wandering along the beach with his hands in his pockets.
▪ somebody's pockets are bulging (=they are very full)
Tony's pockets were bulging with loose change.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + pocket
▪ a back/front/side pocket
He took a wad of money from his back pocket.
▪ a breast pocket (=on the chest)
There was a silk handkerchief in his breast pocket.
▪ an inside pocket (=on the inside of a coat, jacket etc)
Gregson pulled a photo from the inside pocket of his jacket.
▪ a jacket/trouser/shirt etc pocket
She slipped the map into her jacket pocket.
II. pocket 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
1 . to put something into your pocket:
Maggie locked the door and pocketed the keys.
2 . to steal money, especially money that you are responsible for:
One inspector had pocketed up to $500,000 in bribes.
3 . to get a large amount of money, win a prize etc, especially in a way that seems very easy or slightly dishonest:
Johnston pocketed $2,500 in prize money.
4 . to hit a ball into a pocket in the game of ↑ pool , ↑ snooker or ↑ billiards SYN pot
III. pocket 3 BrE AmE adjective [only before noun]
small enough to be carried in your pocket:
a pocket dictionary