1 out of pocket | Definition of out of pocket

out of pocket

adverb

Definition of out of pocket

 (Entry 1 of 2)

1 : from cash on hand : with one's own money rather than with money from another source (such as an insurance company) With so many people willing to pay out of pocket most insurance companies do not pay for the procedure, because they regard it as "cosmetic" …— Kenneth Chang

2 chiefly British

a : in the position of having lost money On Oct. 7, the government suddenly pulled the plug on Railtrack PLC, the privatized owner of Britain's railway infrastructure, leaving the company's 250,000 shareholders out of pocket.— Kerry Capell
b : out of funds : without money My wife and I are already consumers of Straus's organic yogurt, butter, cream and ice cream, although I admit when I am feeling out of pocket I opt for a slightly cheaper competitor.— Larry Gallagher

out-of-pocket

adjective
out-of-pock·​et | \ ËŒau̇t-É™(v)-ˈpä-kÉ™t How to pronounce out-of-pocket (audio) \

Definition of out-of-pocket (Entry 2 of 2)

: requiring an outlay of cash out-of-pocket expenses

Examples of out of pocket in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb

Parents who enroll their children at Life Skills will have to use their insurance or pay out of pocket until then, said vice president Treva Fairman. Dallas News, "Life Skills Autism Academy opening in Plano plans to provide one-on-one therapy," 27 Aug. 2019 In that case, the defendant may have to pay its expenses out of pocket, according to Kevin LaCroix, an executive at RT ProExec, an insurance intermediary focused on management liability. Ben Dooley, New York Times, "Nissan Got Rid of Carlos Ghosn. The Way It Did So May Prove Costly.," 26 Aug. 2019 Under current law, most prescriptions are already free for Canadians under 26 or over 65; those in between have to buy private drug insurance or pay out of pocket. Los Angeles Times, "Pssst ... Want to buy some insulin or other lifesaving medicine? Go to Canada," 14 Aug. 2019 In the beginning, McMurty had to pay for all of her materials out of pocket and go through the ups and downs of branding and promotion. Talis Shelbourne, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "We asked four black businesswomen how they got their start. Here's what they said.," 9 Aug. 2019 Pharmacies set their own price for the products, and insurance won’t be covering the cost, so patients will have to pay out of pocket. Washington Post, "Louisiana launching medical marijuana after years of waiting," 6 Aug. 2019 Middle-class families are going to pay less out of pocket for their health care. NBC News, "Democratic debate transcript: July 30, 2019," 31 July 2019 Since medical care is sometimes much less expensive overseas, some retirees opt to pay out of pocket for minor or routine services. Kaiser Health News, oregonlive.com, "How to get health care coverage when you retire to a foreign country," 27 July 2019 According to Healthline's website, the HIV prevention medication, Truvada can cost $2,000 out of pocket for a 30-day dose if the patient doesn't have insurance. Aubrey Carpenter, azcentral, "Planned Parenthood Arizona receives $10K from Phoenix Pride for HIV prevention," 16 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'out of pocket.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of out of pocket

Adverb

1679, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Adjective

1885, in the meaning defined above

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More Definitions for out of pocket

out-of-pocket

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of out-of-pocket

: paid for with your own money rather than with money from another source (such as the company you work for or an insurance company)

out-of-pocket

adjective

Legal Definition of out-of-pocket

: requiring an outlay of cash out-of-pocket expenses

More from Merriam-Webster on out of pocket

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for out of pocket