idiom · neutral
out of pocket
UK/aʊt əv ˈpɒkɪt/US/aʊt əv ˈpɑːkɪt/out·of·POCK·et
having to pay expenses yourself (unexpected costs); also (US) temporarily unavailable/unreachable
Examples
“I was out of pocket for the repair costs until my insurance reimbursed me.”
“Sorry I didn't reply — I was out of pocket all afternoon and had no signal.”
“The company will cover business travel, but you'll be out of pocket for meals on the first day.”
Band 8 sentence
“Although the company reimbursed travel, I was briefly out of pocket for accommodation until the claim processed.”
Collocations
- be out of pocket for + noun
- be out of pocket until + noun
Word family
Common mistakes
out of pocketed→out of pocket
out of the pocket→out of pocket
Say it for a higher band
5pay myself→6have to pay→7+out of pocket
Synonyms
pay out of pocket
covered
Easily confused
pay out of pocket
“I had to pay out of pocket for the dentist before the reimbursement.”
Related words
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