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Definition of pool noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

pool

noun
 
/puːl/
 
/puːl/
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    for swimming

  1. (also swimming pool)
    [countable] an area of water that has been created for people to swim in
    • an indoor/outdoor pool
    • Does the hotel have a pool?
    • relaxing by the pool
    see also infinity pool, paddling pool, plunge pool, wading pool
    Extra Examples
    • He swam three lengths of the pool.
    • I left the diving pool after my session on the springboards.
    • A girl invited me over to her pool party.
    • I slipped on the wet pool deck and fell down.
    • Jack works there as a pool boy.
    • a 25 m lap pool
    • a unique new wave pool
    Topics Holidaysa1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • bathing
    • paddling
    • swimming
    verb + pool
    • swim in
    • dive into
    • jump into
    pool + noun
    • deck
    • attendant
    • boy
    phrases
    • the bottom, edge, middle, side, etc. of the pool
    • a length of the pool
    See full entry
  2. (also swimming pool)
    the building that contains a public pool
  3. of water

  4. [countable] a small area of still water, especially one that has formed naturally
    • freshwater/thermal pools
    see also rock pool, tide pool
    Extra Examples
    • Rhinos are fond of wallowing in muddy pools and sandy riverbeds.
    • The waterfall cascades into the pool below.
    • There was a pool of water at the bottom of the garden.
    • The park is full of hot water springs and bubbling mud pools.
    • a shallow pool full of red carp
    Topics Geographya2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • big
    • large
    • little
    preposition
    • in a/​the pool
    • pool of
    See full entry
  5. of liquid/light

  6. [countable] a small amount of liquid or light lying on a surface
    • pool of something The body was lying in a pool of blood.
    • a pool of light
    • The water ran down out of their clothes and formed a pool on floor.
    Extra Examples
    • The wick floated in a pool of oil.
    • pools of water
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • big
    • little
    • small
    verb + pool
    • lie in
    preposition
    • in a/​the pool
    • pool of
    See full entry
  7. group of things/people

  8. [countable] pool (of something) a supply of things or money that is shared by a group of people and can be used when needed
    • a pool of cars used by the firm’s sales force
    • a pool car
    see also car pool, gene pool, motor pool
    Extra Examples
    • They draw on funds from a common pool.
    • They will share a limited pool of money with other defendants.
    • a shrinking pool of assets
    • The purpose of an insurance company is to provide a pool of funds from which to meet claims made by its customers.
    • a growing pool of data
    • a vast pool of knowledge on best practices
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • big
    • huge
    • large
    verb + pool
    • build
    • create
    • form
    preposition
    • pool of
    See full entry
  9. [countable] pool (of something) a group of people available for work when needed
    • a pool of cheap labour
    • I started my career in the typing pool (= a group of people who shared a company’s typing work) over 40 years ago.
    Extra Examples
    • A member of the press pool shouted out a question to the president.
    • There's a great talent pool in the business community.
    • We need to increase our applicant pool.
    • a method of expanding the pool of potential investors
    • a strong pool of talent in the company
    • the available pool of really good people
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • big
    • huge
    • large
    verb + pool
    • build
    • create
    • form
    preposition
    • pool of
    See full entry
  10. game

  11. [uncountable] a game for two people played with 16 balls on a table, often in pubs and bars. Players use cues (= long sticks) to try to hit the balls into pockets at the edge of the table.
    • a pool table
    • to shoot (= play) pool
    • Do you play pool?
    compare billiards, snookerTopics Games and toysc1, Sports: other sportsc1
  12. football

  13. the pools
    (also football pools)
    [plural] a form of gambling in the UK in which people try to win money by saying what the results of football matches will be
    • He does the pools every week.
    • a pools winner
    Topics Sports: ball and racket sportsc2
  14. Word Originnoun senses 1 to 3 Old English pōl, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch poel and German Pfuhl. noun senses 4 to 7 late 17th cent. (originally denoting a game of cards having a pool): from French poule in the sense ‘stake, kitty’, associated with pool ‘small area of liquid’.
See pool in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee pool in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
sufficiently
adverb
 
 
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