noun
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articles, vessels, etc, made from earthenware and dried and baked in a kiln
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a place where such articles are made
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the craft or business of making such articles
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of pottery
Compare meaning
How does pottery compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Something made out of clay and baked in a kiln is a piece of pottery—and the craft of creating it is also pottery. You might make pottery in the arts and crafts tent at camp. Anything made from clay that's been fired, or baked at a high temperature in a kiln, is pottery. Some pottery is made on a wheel that turns while the potter forms the shape of a bowl or vase. Other pottery is formed with hands or tools that shape the clay. In the 15th century, a pottery was a potter's shed or studio.
Vocabulary lists containing pottery
The Stone Age - Middle School and High School
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The Stone Age - Introductory
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Sports and Hobbies
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The team at Cerebral Palsy Midlands run activities including pottery, musical production, virtual gaming and Vicky's favourite - wheelchair dance.
From BBC • May 14, 2026
There are pottery wheels and a derby car racetrack for tiny cars carved from zucchinis.
From Slate • May 8, 2026
Large numbers of bodies were placed quickly on top of pottery debris in an abandoned public area, which became the central focus of this study.
From Science Daily • Apr. 23, 2026
Joshua fused the pieces together, following an ancient Japanese art form of repairing broken pottery.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026
The evidence includes ground stone tools, pottery, bones of domestic pigs, and crop remains.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
