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)

• puddle
• lake

Noun (2)

• staff
• workforce
• manpower
• personnel

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

This satellite image captured in its aftermath shows extensive flooding throughout the city and large pools of water around storage facilities at the city’s main port. —Avery Schmitz, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025

The global competition for IPOs can seem cutthroat at times, as exchanges pitch friendly regulations, investor knowledge, and deeper pools of capital to win listings from their competitors. —Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2025

Verb

Health insurance markets only function when there are lots of people pooling their resources - young and old, relatively healthy and not. —NPR, 26 Oct. 2025

Both the Nigerian and South African governments could also pool capital to support startups and industrial research in priority sectors, such as advanced intelligence, defense, medical science, and mining technology. —Amaka Anku, Foreign Affairs, 24 Oct. 2025

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

Rhymes for pool

• boule
• brule
• buhl
• cool
• drool
• fool
• ghoul
• mule
• poul
• rule
• school
• spool

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