Pocket-size means small enough to fit comfortably in your pocket. A pocket-size notebook can slip into your jeans without bulging out. A pocket-size flashlight tucks easily into your jacket. The phrase describes anything designed or naturally small enough to be portable and convenient.

Before smartphones, people carried pocket-size address books to remember phone numbers and pocket-size calendars to track appointments. Soldiers in World War II received pocket-size editions of popular novels that could fit in their uniform pockets, making long waits more bearable. Today, you might carry a pocket-size bottle of hand sanitizer, a pocket-size pack of tissues, or a pocket-size chess set.

The term can also be written as pocket-sized with a “d” at the end, meaning exactly the same thing. Sometimes people use it figuratively: a pocket-size country might be very small geographically, like Luxembourg or Monaco.

The beauty of pocket-size objects is their convenience. You can bring them anywhere without needing a bag, which means they're there when you need them: that pocket-size dictionary during a word game, that pocket-size compass on a hike, or that pocket-size sketchbook when inspiration strikes.