What does "pouch" mean?
A small bag usually closed with a drawstring.
Pouch
/paʊt͡ʃ/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A small bag usually closed with a drawstring.
- Grammar: pouch is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: sac, bag, bag, bags.
- Useful contrasts: tins.
- Usage evidence: A female kangaroo carries its young in the pouch.
How to use "pouch"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "pouch" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "pouch" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "pouch" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "pouch" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "pouch" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "sac" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "pouch", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A small bag usually closed with a drawstring.
- 2 a small or medium size container for holding or carrying things wordnet
- 3 An organic pocket in which a marsupial carries its young.
- 4 (anatomy) saclike structure in any of various animals (as a marsupial or gopher or pelican) wordnet
- 5 Any pocket or bag-shaped object, such as a cheek pouch.
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 an enclosed space wordnet
- 7 A protuberant belly; a paunch. dated, derogatory, slang
- 8 A cyst or sac containing fluid.
"[…]form a large Pouch or Cyst"
- 9 A silicle, or short pod, as of the shepherd's purse.
- 10 A bulkhead in the hold of a vessel, to prevent grain etc. from shifting.
Verb
- 1 To enclose within a pouch. transitive
"The beggar pouched the coin."
- 2 swell or protrude outwards wordnet
- 3 To transport within a pouch, especially a diplomatic pouch. transitive
"We pouched the encryption device to our embassy in Beijing."
- 4 send by special mail that goes through diplomatic channels wordnet
- 5 To swallow.
"And, to name no more, the common Heron hath its most remarkable Parts adapted to this Service; long Legs for wading; and a long Neck answerable thereto to reach Prey; a wide, extensive Throat to pouch it; long Toes, with strong hooked Talons […]"
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 put into a small bag wordnet
- 7 To pout. obsolete, rare
"He pouched his mouth, and reared himself up and swelled; but answered me not."
- 8 To pocket; to put up with. obsolete
"And for the value of the gowden piece , it shall never be said I pouched her siller"
Antonyms
Example
"A female kangaroo carries its young in the pouch."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "pouch"?
Common synonyms include: sac, bag, bag, bags, balloon, beetle.
How do you use "pouch" in a sentence?
A female kangaroo carries its young in the pouch.
How do you pronounce "pouch"?
Pronounced /paʊt͡ʃ/.
Etymology
From Middle English pouche, poche, borrowed from Old Northern French pouche, from Old French poche, puche (whence French poche; compare also the Anglo-Norman variant poke), of Germanic origin: from Frankish *poka (“pouch”) (compare Middle Dutch poke, Old English pohha, dialectal German Pfoch). Doublet of poke; compare pocket.