What does pouch mean?
A pouch is a small bag, packet, or flexible container that is easy to carry, often on a belt or inside a larger pocket. The word can also describe the temporary nursery of a marsupial: a kangaroo's young, called a joey, develops in its mother's pouch, where it remains attached to a teat before becoming independently mobile. In clothing and textiles, “pouch” may refer to a gathered or bulging area formed when material is slack or folded. As a verb, “to pouch” means to put something into a pocket or pouch; this use is less common than the noun and may sound somewhat old-fashioned in formal writing. Overall, the word suggests a small, flexible container or a soft, expandable space, and its zoological sense is widely associated with the distinctive reproductive anatomy of marsupials.
A small bag or flexible container, especially one carried in a pocket or attached to a belt.
"He kept his watch in the inner pouch of his backpack."
Also used for a sac-like compartment in which a marsupial carries its young.
To place, carry, or put away something in a pocket or pouch.
"He pouched his hands and walked toward the door."
This use is relatively uncommon and may sound old-fashioned or informal.
The plural is used for multiple bags or pouches and, collectively, for the separate compartments of a marsupium.
"The shop sells small velvet pouches for storing loose tea."
A kangaroo's pouch is both nursery and birthplace: the tiny joey develops there before emerging into the outside world.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of pouch
The word comes through Middle English from Old French or Anglo-Norman pouch, meaning a small bag or purse. Its deeper origin is uncertain, though it is related in development to the family of words represented in English by pocket. The separate animal sense developed by analogy with the sac in which marsupials carry their young.
Related word forms
How pouch is actually used
The noun is common in British and American English. The verb is less frequent and can sound old-fashioned or informal, while the animal sense is especially associated with marsupials such as kangaroos and koalas.
Easily confused with pouch
A pouch is a small bag or sac, whereas a pocket is an opening or compartment attached to a garment or other object.