pocketful

noun — 2 senses

pocketful

noun

Etymology From pocket + -ful.

1

The amount that a pocket would hold.

White came to City Hall on Monday morning, entering through a basement window, with a gun and a pocketful of bullets.1978 December 9, George Mendenhall, “Harvey Milk, Mayor Moscone Slain in Shooting”, in Gay Community News, volume 6, number 20, page 1:

2

Figuratively A small or moderate amount.

This Government came in with a pocketful of promises. Every time the Prime Minister (Mr. Mulroney) saw two farmers at a crossroads he had five more promises to make.1986, Canada. Parliament, House of Commons Debates, Official Report:
Much more than a pocketful of fun awaits in this collection of rhymes and poems!2003, James Marshall, Pocketful of Nonsense:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.