pouch

1 of 2

noun

ˈpau̇ch 

1

: a small drawstring bag carried on the person

2

a

: a bag of small or moderate size for storing or transporting goods

specifically : a lockable bag for first-class mail or diplomatic dispatches

b

chiefly Scotland : pocket

c

: packet

3

: an anatomical structure resembling a pouch

pouched

ˈpau̇cht 

adjective

pouch

2 of 2

verb

pouched; pouching; pouches

transitive verb

1

: to put or form into or as if into a pouch

2

: to transmit by pouch

intransitive verb

1

: to bulge in a manner suggesting a pouch

pouching cheeks

2

: to transmit mail or dispatches by pouch

Synonyms

Noun

• bag
• poke [chiefly Southern & Midland]
• sack

Verb

• bag
• balloon
• beetle
• belly
• billow
• bulge
• bunch
• jut
• overhang
• poke
• pooch [chiefly dialect]
• pout
• project
• protrude
• stand out
• start
• stick out
• swell

Examples of pouch in a Sentence

Noun

He carried his money in a small leather pouch in his pocket.

we sealed the catnip in a cloth pouch and tossed it to the cat

Verb

as he grew older, the skin on his neck pouched

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

These nipples are concealed inside a pouch on its belly, because the Virginia opossum is a marsupial, the only one native to North America. —Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024

Now on sale for 30 percent off, this packable bag is expandable, secure, and fitted with plenty of handy features like compressive cross-straps, zippered interior pockets, and even a removable wet pouch. —Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 25 Oct. 2024

Verb

And finally, the yogurt pouches for her oldest son’s breakfast. —Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2024

Caiden had been eating the cinnamon applesauce pouches almost every day for about a month. —Berkeley Lovelace Jr., NBC News, 28 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English pouche, from Anglo-French, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English pocca bag

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1566, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing pouch

• retort pouch

Kids Definition

pouch

1 of 2 noun

ˈpau̇ch 

1

: a small bag that can be closed (as with a string)

tobacco pouch

2

: a structure in the form of a bag

especially : one for carrying the young on the abdomen of a female marsupial (as a kangaroo or opossum)

pouched

ˈpau̇cht 

adjective

pouch

2 of 2 verb

: to put or form into or as if into a pouch

Medical Definition

pouch

noun

ˈpau̇ch 

: an anatomical structure resembling a bag or pocket

a blind gastric pouch filled with bile and gastric juice

—The Journal of the American Medical Association