Definition of "pocket borough" [pocket borough]

• A borough in England, before the parliamentary reform of 1832, whose representation was controlled by a single person or family. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.