pool
pool — verb
1. to add money, people, or useful things into one shared supply for a group to use
to add money, people, or useful things into one shared supply for a group to use.
The four neighbours pooled money to fix the broken lift.
pool money to pay for something
Three hospitals pooled their nurses during the winter flu season.
pool staff across organizations
After the storm, local farmers pooled tractors and cleared the road.
The two classes pooled ideas for the school garden project.
pool ideas for a project
Several cousins pooled their savings to buy Grandma a new fridge.
- pool money
- pool resources
- pool staff
- pool ideas
Grammar Patterns
pool + money/resources/staff/ideas
pool + noun + for/to + shared goal
Usage Note
The object is usually money, staff, equipment, ideas, or another useful resource. A phrase after it often shows the shared aim, such as `to buy new seats` or `for the project`.
Common Mistakes
pool — noun
1. a place filled with water where people swim, or the building around it.
a place filled with water where people swim, or the building around it.
The hotel pool opens at six, before breakfast starts downstairs.
hotel pool
After school, Maya met her coach at the public pool.
public pool
A glass wall lets parents watch children from outside the pool.
During winter, the town keeps its indoor pool warm all day.
indoor pool
- public pool
- hotel pool
- indoor pool
- swimming bath
British term, often for a public indoor pool
- lido
usually an outdoor public swimming pool
Grammar Patterns
in the pool
at the pool
indoor pool
Usage Note
This sense can name either the water itself or the whole swimming facility. 'At the pool' often means the place in general, while 'in the pool' focuses on the water.
Common Mistakes
2. a small, quiet body of water in nature, often one left among rocks or under a fa
a small, quiet body of water in nature, often one left among rocks or under a fall.
A deer stopped beside the pool and drank without looking up.
beside the pool
Rain filled a shallow pool between the rocks after the storm.
shallow pool
Dragonflies hovered over the dark pool under the old bridge.
We found a clear pool at the foot of the waterfall.
pool at the foot of a waterfall
- shallow pool
- dark pool
- clear pool
- pond
usually larger and more like a small still-water feature in a garden or field
- rock pool
specifically a small natural pool among rocks, often by the sea
- water hole
often a drinking place for animals in a dry area
Grammar Patterns
pool beneath + place
clear/dark/shallow pool
beside the pool
Usage Note
Unlike sense 1, this use is about water that forms naturally rather than a place built for swimming. It often appears with words showing the surrounding land, such as rocks, caves, or waterfalls.
3. liquid collected in one place on a surface after dripping, spilling, or flowing
liquid collected in one place on a surface after dripping, spilling, or flowing there.
Broken eggs lay in a yellow pool on the kitchen floor.
in a pool on a surface
Coffee from the cup gathered into a pool near my laptop.
Blood formed a small pool beside the cyclist's left shoe.
form a pool
Melted wax sat in a white pool under the candle.
pool of melted liquid
- pool of blood
- pool of water
- pool of oil
Grammar Patterns
pool of blood/water/oil
in a pool
form a pool
Usage Note
Often appears in the pattern 'a pool of + liquid' or after verbs such as 'form', 'gather', and 'spread'. Distinguish from sense 2, which is a natural piece of water rather than spilled or fallen liquid.
Common Mistakes
4. a bright patch in a dark place, where light seems to gather in one spot.
a bright patch in a dark place, where light seems to gather in one spot.
A reading lamp threw a pool of light across the map.
pool of light
The baby crawled into the pool of light beneath the hallway lamp.
In the cave, one torch left a dim pool near the wall.
light in darkness
Dust danced in a bright pool by the open attic door.
- pool of light
- bright pool
- dim pool
- glow
focuses on gentle brightness rather than a clearly shaped patch
- circle of light
more direct and less literary
- beam
suggests a line or direction of light, not the lit area itself
- shadow
the dark area where light does not fall
Grammar Patterns
pool of light
in the pool
throw a pool of light
Usage Note
Common in descriptive writing, especially with the fixed phrase 'pool of light'. The image is of light lying in one area like still liquid.
5. a group or fund kept for shared use, so different people or organizations can dr
a group or fund kept for shared use, so different people or organizations can draw on it when necessary.
The hospital drew nurses from a shared pool during flu season.
draw from a shared pool
Three schools created a pool of buses for sports trips.
pool of + shared resources
The studio hires actors from a large local talent pool.
talent pool
Our families put money into a pool for the summer camp.
- talent pool
- shared pool
- pool of volunteers
Grammar Patterns
a pool of + people/resources
draw from a pool
put money into a pool
Usage Note
Often appears in 'a pool of + people/resources', especially for workers, money, or equipment available to more than one user. Distinguish from sense 7, where the money is staked in a game rather than held for shared use.
Common Mistakes
6. a table game where players use cue sticks to send balls into pockets.
a table game where players use cue sticks to send balls into pockets.
After dinner, Lena beat her brother at pool in the basement.
beat somebody at pool
The bar added two pool tables near the back door.
pool table
On Friday nights, students line up to play pool at Ken's cafe.
play pool
A lucky shot sent the black ball across the pool table.
- play pool
- beat somebody at pool
- pool table
- game of pool
- billiards
often used loosely for similar table games, but it can name a wider group
- eight-ball
one common form of pool, not the whole category
Grammar Patterns
play pool
a game of pool
pool table
Usage Note
Usually follows play or practice without an article. For one match, say a game of pool. Distinguish from billiards and snooker, which are related but different games.
Common Mistakes
7. the money all the players put into a card game, which goes to the winner.
the money all the players put into a card game, which goes to the winner.
Jake pushed ten dollars into the pool before the next hand.
put money into the pool
By midnight, the pool in their poker game was big enough to excite everyone.
The winner took the whole pool after the final card.
take the whole pool
Each player added one coin to the pool to start.
- add to the pool
- take the pool
- big pool
Grammar Patterns
put money into the pool
take the pool
the pool grows
Usage Note
Used for money at the card table, often with verbs like 'add to', 'put into', or 'take'. It is narrower than the event-betting use, which is not tied to one hand of cards.
Common Mistakes
8. the full amount of betting money collected on one race, match, or similar event.
the full amount of betting money collected on one race, match, or similar event.
By noon, the Derby pool had reached ten thousand dollars.
the pool on a named event
At lunch, Maya counted the pool after twenty coworkers picked the winner.
count the pool after bets are placed
The winner took the whole pool after the final horse crossed first.
take the whole pool
Late bets doubled the pool before the evening race began.
- the Derby pool
- count the pool
- take the whole pool
- double the pool
Grammar Patterns
the pool on a race or match
take the whole pool
Usage Note
Usually names the total stakes on one named event, often with words like whole, total, or prize. Distinguish from noun/7, which is the shared money in a card game.
Common Mistakes
9. a British betting game where people pay a little money to guess football results
a British betting game where people pay a little money to guess football results.
Every Saturday, Grandpa filled in his football pools card after lunch.
football pools card
In the 1960s, many families dreamed of winning big on the football pools.
win big on the football pools
Tom's uncle stopped doing the pools when online betting appeared.
do the pools
The corner shop sold forms for the pools beside the paper.
- do the pools
- win the pools
- football pools card
- pools form
- football pools
the full fixed name for this British game
- sports betting
broader and more modern; not limited to this traditional game
Grammar Patterns
do the pools
win on the pools
football pools card
Usage Note
Mostly British and often appears as the pools or football pools, especially with do, win, card, or form. Distinguish from noun/8, which names the money collected on one event, not the game itself.
Common Mistakes
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
For noun/1, 'pool' is the normal everyday choice, especially when the swimming meaning is already clear from context. 'Swimming pool' is more explicit and is useful when 'pool' might be mistaken for another sense. 'Lido' is mainly British and usually means an outdoor public swimming pool. 'Spa' often suggests a leisure or health place with hot water or treatments, not just a place to swim laps. 'Swimming bath' is also British and sounds more institutional or old-fashioned, especially for public facilities. Compare these: 'The kids are at the pool' is the broad everyday choice; 'We spent the afternoon at the lido' points to a specific outdoor venue.
Common collocations
Phrases
- pool money/resources together
- a pool of + liquid/light/people
Etymology
Pool comes from Old English `pol`, meaning a small body of still water. That concrete water sense stayed in English and later widened to swimming pools and to other things that seem to gather in one place, such as liquid, light, people, or money. The verb developed from the noun idea of putting things into one common pool so they can be shared.