1
: from cash on hand : with one's own money rather than with money from another source (such as an insurance company)
With so many people willing to pay out of pocket most insurance companies do not pay for the procedure, because they regard it as "cosmetic" …—
Kenneth Chang
Kenneth Chang2
chiefly British
a
: in the position of having lost money
On Oct. 7, the government suddenly pulled the plug on Railtrack PLC, the privatized owner of Britain's railway infrastructure, leaving the company's 250,000 shareholders out of pocket.—Kerry Capell
Kerry Capell
b
: out of funds : without money
My wife and I are already consumers of Straus's organic yogurt, butter, cream and ice cream, although I admit when I am feeling out of pocket I opt for a slightly cheaper competitor.—Larry Gallagher
Larry GallagherExamples of out-of-pocket in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Orion Rummler, Them., 18 Apr. 2025
For veterans who use the VA as their primary form of health care, going to a medical provider outside the VA would also incur out-of-pocket costs that may not be affordable, Byard says.
—Chantelle Lee, Time, 17 Apr. 2025
Berkeley Lovelace Jr., NBC News, 14 Mar. 2023
Biden will also propose benefit changes that includes limiting to $2 how much a Medicare recipient must pay out of pocket for certain generic drugs.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 9 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for out-of-pocket
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Adjective
Doing so means that insurers could drop coverage for trans people entirely or that trans patients could see higher out-of-pocket costs, experts say.
—Orion Rummler, Them., 18 Apr. 2025
For veterans who use the VA as their primary form of health care, going to a medical provider outside the VA would also incur out-of-pocket costs that may not be affordable, Byard says.
—Chantelle Lee, Time, 17 Apr. 2025
Adverb
Seniors on Medicare will pay no more than $35 per month out of pocket, thanks to a provision in the Inflation Reduction Act that went into effect Jan. 1.
—Berkeley Lovelace Jr., NBC News, 14 Mar. 2023
Biden will also propose benefit changes that includes limiting to $2 how much a Medicare recipient must pay out of pocket for certain generic drugs.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 9 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for out-of-pocket
Cite this Entry
“Out-of-pocket.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/out-of-pocket. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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