Slang dictionary
out of pocket
[ out uhv pok-it ]
What does out of pocket mean?
Out of pocket is a phrase with three different common meanings. It can refer to a person having to pay money themselves, a person being unreachable, or a person acting unnaturally or in a wild, inappropriate way.
When talking about money, a person who is paying out of pocket is making a payment with their own money. Nobody else, such as an insurance company, is paying the cost for them. This usage of out of pocket is not typically considered to be slang and is familiar to most people.
Example: My insurance doesn’t cover tornado damage, so the payment for the roof will come out of pocket.
Out of pocket can also mean unavailable or unreachable. For example, a person who is on vacation from work and isn’t answering any calls or emails would be out of pocket to their coworkers. This usage of out of pocket is more common among older generations.
Example: Dr. Jones couldn’t perform the surgery this week because she was traveling out of the country and was out of pocket.
Finally, out of pocket can refer to a person acting out of character or acting in a way that is wildly inappropriate. For example, a birthday clown who is being mean to children and using offensive language would likely be described as acting out of pocket. This usage of out of pocket is popular among younger generations.
Example: My brother can’t help himself from being out of pocket on social media. I’m surprised he hasn’t been banned yet.
Where does out of pocket come from?
According to most sources, the financial sense of out of pocket is the oldest. It has been used since at least the late 1800s. This sense refers to a person figuratively having to take money out of their own pockets to pay someone.
Out of pocket in the sense of unavailable is more recent. It has been recorded as early as 1908. This sense could be based on the figurative idea that a person is missing from their “pocket” (usual space) or has been lost like something that fell out of a person’s pocket.
The usage of out of pocket to describe someone who is acting weird or inappropriate seems to be the most recent. This usage may date back to at least the 1940s and is said to have emerged from African American Vernacular English as a reference to the game of pool. The goal of pool is to sink balls into pockets, so a ball being “out of pocket” is a negative event.
Examples of out of pocket
Who uses out of pocket?
The financial sense of out of pocket is very common and used by all types of people.
If you hit an overpass at this point with your truck, you should have to pay out of pocket for the damage and labour to fix all of it.
— AJ ♡ 🇧🇦🇲🇪 (@SarcasticallyAJ) September 20, 2023
The “wild” or “inappropriate” sense of out of pocket is more popular with younger generations. As a result, this sense is also frequently used on social media.
The fake pages on here are out of pocket.
— High Priestess Kay🧞🧚🏽♀️ (@KayisDivine) August 28, 2023
Oh this weather is out of pocket .. I’m def outta here by 12 pm
— 𝓢𝒽𝒶𝓇ℯ𝓈ℯ 𝓝𝒾𝒸ℴ𝓁ℯ (@Butta_Love) January 9, 2024
My new favourite type of comedy is commentators saying things that are out of pocket 😂😂😂.
— sidney (@erima_sidney) August 24, 2023
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of out of pocket like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of out of pocket that will help our users expand their word mastery.