out of pocket
18
6.4
- idiom
:
de su propio bolsillo
- Similarly, persons in generally good health can pay out of pocket for routine medical services as needed.
- out-of-pocket expenses
- pay out of pocket
Examples
-
Parents often paid for services out of pocket because reimbursements for purchases were so late.
Academic text (2000) -
Many people cannot afford to pay for health insurance and must cover their medical expenses out of pocket.
-
He'll have to pay out of pocket.
-
Americans already spend more out of pocket for health care services than consumers in other countries.
Academic text (1993) -
I was still paying 500 bucks out of pocket when I was working.
Blog text (11) -
My husband has Type 1 diabetes, and we pay $400 out of pocket every month just for his insulin!
Blog text (6) -
Without hesitation, I decided to pay for all of the students' meals out of pocket.
Academic text (2015) -
We recognize that a proportion of parents will elect to pay out of pocket for neonatal circumcision.
Blog text (19) -
Soaring fuel costs have left many social care workers out of pocket as mileage rates fail to match the hikes.
Academic text (2011) -
I spent $18.00 out of pocket at Walgreens and got $16.00 back in rewards.
Blog text (2)
Synonyms
20
4.9
Costs you pay yourself that you do not get back from others
11
4.1
Pay for something with your own money instead of getting money from someone else
Paid directly by a person, not by insurance
Antonyms
How Paid
Surface Forms
Morphology
out + of + pocket
The meaning 'having to pay with one's own money' is directly derivable from the constituents: 'out of' (from) + 'pocket' (one's personal funds), so a learner who knows these words can infer money coming from one's own pocket. This compositional logic is cross-linguistically common (e.g. Spanish 'de su propio bolsillo'), making the expression immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner.
Etymology
The idiom out of pocket comes from a simple image: when you must pay with money from your own pocket, you are literally out of pocket because the money comes straight from you. That's why it now means having to pay yourself and not being 'paid back'.