Stashing
Stashing is dating someone while deliberately keeping them hidden from your friends, family and social media — so the relationship never becomes publicly real.
Full definition of Stashing →:: COMPARE ::
StashingvsPocketing
The short answer
These are near-synonyms for the same behaviour — keeping a partner out of your wider life. 'Stashing' is used with particular emphasis on social-media exclusion; 'pocketing' emphasises being carried along but never shown.
Side by side
| Aspect | Stashing | Pocketing |
|---|---|---|
| Behaviour | Hiding a partner | Hiding a partner |
| Emphasis | Social media | Friends and family |
| Coined | 2017, UK press | Late 2010s |
| Difference | Largely interchangeable | Largely interchangeable |
What each one means
Pocketing
Pocketing is when someone you're dating deliberately keeps you hidden from their friends, family and social media — no introductions, no public acknowledgement — as though the relationship is being kept tucked away in a pocket.
Full definition of Pocketing →