pool

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈpül 

1

a(1)

: a small and rather deep body of usually fresh water

(2)

: a quiet place in a stream

(3)

: a body of water forming above a dam

b

: something resembling a pool

a pool of light

2

: a small body of standing liquid

3

: a continuous area of porous sedimentary rock that yields petroleum or gas

4

: swimming pool

pool

2 of 4

verb (1)

pooled; pooling; pools

intransitive verb

1

: to form a pool

2

of blood : to accumulate or become static (as in the veins of a bodily part)

pool

3 of 4

noun (2)

1

a

: an aggregate stake to which each player of a game has contributed

b

: all the money bet by a number of persons on a particular event

2

a

: a game played on an English billiard table in which each of the players stakes a sum and the winner takes all

b

: any of various games of billiards played on an oblong table having 6 pockets with usually 15 object balls

3

: an aggregation of the interests or property of different persons made to further a joint undertaking by subjecting them to the same control and a common liability

4

: a readily available supply: such as

a

: the whole quantity of a particular material present in the body and available for function or the satisfying of metabolic demands

b

: a body product (such as blood) collected from many donors and stored for later use

c

: a group of people available for some purpose

a shrinking pool of applicants

typing pool

5

: gene pool

6

: a group of journalists from usually several news organizations using pooled resources (such as television equipment) to produce shared coverage especially of events to which access is restricted

pool

4 of 4

verb (2)

pooled; pooling; pools

transitive verb

: to combine (things, such as resources) in a common pool or effort

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• billabong [Australian]
• mere [chiefly British]
• puddle
• stank [British dialect]
• well

Noun (2)

• force
• help
• labor force
• manpower
• personnel
• staff
• workforce

Examples of pool in a Sentence

Noun (1)

a secluded pool that has long been a locally favored spot for skinny-dipping

Noun (2)

a large pool of applicants for the summer internship

a pool of ideas ready to use whenever the cartoonist needs to meet a deadline

office workers setting up a pool for the collective purchase of lottery tickets

two coworkers split last week's football pool

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Students who demonstrate sustained interest and excellence in a single area—whether STEM, humanities, or the arts—are more likely to stand out in a competitive applicant pool. —Dr. Aviva Legatt, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024

There’s also a pool and full-service restaurant — don’t skip the Margherita pizza here. —Kristin Braswell, Travel + Leisure, 19 Dec. 2024

Verb

The common theme: pooling both demand and supply for greater efficiency and European autonomy. —Tamar Jacoby, Forbes, 26 Nov. 2024

Recommended Trust Why many in Ukraine oppose a ‘land for peace’ formula to end the war Rich countries have agreed to pool together at least $300 billion a year by 2035. —Melinda Walling, The Christian Science Monitor, 24 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English pōl; akin to Old High German pfuol pool

Noun (2)

French poule, literally, hen, from Old French, feminine of poul cock — more at pullet

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb (1)

1626, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1708, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (2)

circa 1780, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing pool

• car pool
• dirty pool
• gene pool
• infinity pool
• motor pool
• paddling pool
• pool resources
• swimming pool
• tide pool
• wading pool
• wave pool

Kids Definition

pool

1 of 4 noun

ˈpül 

1

: a small deep body of water

2

: a small body of standing liquid : puddle

3

: swimming pool

pool

2 of 4 verb

: to form a pool

pool

3 of 4 noun

1

: the money bet by a number of persons on an event or in a game

2

: a game played on a billiard table having six pockets with usually 15 object balls

3

: a common fund for making investments

4

a

: a readily available supply

a pool of talent

a typing pool

b

: a group sharing in some activity

a car pool

pool

4 of 4 verb

: to contribute to a common fund or effort

pooled their resources

Etymology

Noun

Old English pōl "a small body of water"

Noun

from French poule "the amount of money bet in a card game," literally, "hen," derived from early French poul "a male chicken, cock" — related to pullet

Medical Definition

pool

1 of 2 intransitive verb

ˈpül 

of blood

: to accumulate or become static (as in the veins of a bodily part)

blood pooled in his legs

pool

2 of 2 noun

: a readily available supply: as

a

: the whole quantity of a particular material present in the body and available for function or the satisfying of metabolic demands see gene pool, metabolic pool

b

: a body product (as blood) collected from many donors and stored for later use

Legal Definition

pool

1 of 2 noun

1

: an aggregation of the interests, obligations, or undertakings of several parties working together

an insurance pool

2

: a group of people available for some purpose see also jury pool

pool

2 of 2 transitive verb

: to combine (as assets or votes) in a common form or effort

especially : to combine (interests) so as not to have a merger of companies considered a purchase for accounting purposes