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• pot
  pot

  noun

  a container of earthenware, metal, etc., usually round and deep and having a handle or handles and often a lid, used for cooking, serving, and other purposes.
• pot.
  pot.

  abbreviation

  potential.

pot

¹ American  

[pot] / pɒt /

noun

1. a container of earthenware, metal, etc., usually round and deep and having a handle or handles and often a lid, used for cooking, serving, and other purposes.

2. such a container with its contents.

   a pot of stew.

3. the amount contained in or held by a pot; potful.

4. a flowerpot.

5. a container of liquor or other drink.

   a pot of ale.

6. liquor or other drink.

7. a cagelike vessel for trapping fish, lobsters, eels, etc., typically made of wood, wicker, or wire.

8. a chamber pot.

9. Metallurgy.

   1. a vessel for melting metal; melting pot.

   2. an electrolytic cell for reducing certain metals, as aluminum, from fused salts.

10. British.

    1. a chimney pot.

    2. Dialect. a basket or box used for carrying provisions or the like; a pannier.

11. Slang. a large sum of money.

12. all the money bet at a single time; pool.

13. British Slang. (in horse racing) the favorite.

14. a potshot.

15. a liquid measure, usually equal to a pint or quart.

16. Armor.

    1. an open, broad-brimmed helmet of the 17th century.

    2. any open helmet.

17. Slang. a potbelly.

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verb (used with object)

• pots,
  present (3rd person singular)
• potted,
  past participle,  past
• potting
  present participle

1. to put into a pot.

2. to preserve (food) in a pot.

3. to cook in a pot.

4. to transplant into a pot.

   We must pot the petunias.

5. Hunting.

   1. to shoot (game birds) on the ground or water, or (game animals) at rest, instead of in flight or running.

      He can't even pot a sitting duck.

   2. to shoot for food, not for sport.

6. Informal. to capture, secure, or win.

verb (used without object)

• pots,
  present (3rd person singular)
• potted,
  past participle,  past
• potting
  present participle

1. Informal. to take a potshot; shoot.

idioms

1. sweeten the pot, sweeten.

2. stir the pot, to promote instability or conflict, as by taunting, encouraging, or otherwise provoking the participants in an ongoing disagreement.

   Trolls on Twitter just want to stir the pot.

3. go to pot, to become ruined; deteriorate.

   With no one to care for it, the lovely old garden went to pot.

pot ² American  

[pot] / pɒt /

noun

Slang.

1. marijuana.

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pot ³ American  

[pot] / pɒt /

noun

Scot. and North England.

1. a deep hole; pit.

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pot. ⁴ American  

abbreviation

Electricity.

1. potential.

2. potentiometer.

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pot ¹ British  

/ pɒt /

noun

1. a container made of earthenware, glass, or similar material; usually round and deep, often having a handle and lid, used for cooking and other domestic purposes

2. short for flowerpot teapot

3. the amount that a pot will hold; potful

4. a chamber pot, esp a small one designed for a baby or toddler

5. a handmade piece of pottery

6. a large mug or tankard, as for beer

7. any of various measures used for serving beer

8. informal a cup or trophy, esp of silver, awarded as a prize in a competition

9. the money or stakes in the pool in gambling games, esp poker

10. informal (often plural) a large amount, esp of money

11. a wicker trap for catching fish, esp crustaceans

    a lobster pot

12. billiards snooker a shot by which a ball is pocketed

13. short for chimneypot

14. informal a joint fund created by a group of individuals or enterprises and drawn upon by them for specified purposes

15. hunting See pot shot

16. See potbelly

17. to go to ruin; deteriorate

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verb

1. to set (a plant) in a flowerpot to grow

2. to put or preserve (goods, meat, etc) in a pot

3. to cook (food) in a pot

4. to shoot (game) for food rather than for sport

5. to shoot (game birds or animals) while they are on the ground or immobile rather than flying or running

6. (also intr) to shoot casually or without careful aim at (an animal, etc)

7. to sit (a baby or toddler) on a chamber pot

8. (also intr) to shape clay as a potter

9. billiards snooker to pocket (a ball)

10. informal to capture or win; secure

pot ² British  

/ pɒt /

noun

1. 1. dialect a deep hole or pothole

   2. ( capital when part of a name )

      Pen-y-Ghent Pot

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pot ³ British  

/ pɒt /

noun

1. slang cannabis used as a drug in any form, such as leaves (marijuana or hemp) or resin (hashish)

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pot ⁴ British  

/ pɒt /

noun

1. informal short for potentiometer

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pot More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing pot

• fish or cut bait (shit or get off the pot)
• go to pot
• hit the jackpot
• sweeten the kitty (pot)
• take potluck
• tempest in a teapot
• watched pot never boils

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• potlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• potting
  present
• potted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• pot
  simple
• pots
  simple
• have potted
  perfect
• has potted
  perfect
• am potting
  progressive
• are potting
  progressive
• is potting
  progressive
• have been potting
  perfect progressive
• has been potting
  perfect progressive

Past

• potted
  simple
• had potted
  perfect
• was potting
  progressive
• were potting
  progressive
• had been potting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will pot
  simple
• will have potted
  perfect
• will be potting
  progressive
• will have been potting
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of pot¹

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English pott; cognate with Dutch, Low German pot, Old Icelandic pottr, Swedish pott, potta, Danish pot, potte; further origin uncertain

Origin of pot²

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40; said to be a shortening of Mexican Spanish potiguaya or potaguaya, apparently contraction of potación de guaya wine or brandy in which marijuana buds have been steeped (literally, “drink of grief” )

Origin of pot³

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English potte, perhaps identical with pot ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pot pot. pots potted potting

Dad handed us the envelope at a Sunday dinner, with a pot roast going cold on the table because he wouldn’t let anyone eat until he’d made his speech.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026

The task involved them attempting to retrieve bags of gold from inside the straw men with a pitchfork, in a bid to add thousands of pounds to the charity prize pot.

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

A rustic stew pot nestled beside a little clutch of flowers?

From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026

Investment decisions on the larger pot of money require a vote by the pension boards.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

“Have you ever burned a pot of ravioli on the stove?”

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

"There is an affability about him, but he's also not afraid of stirring the pot. He's very authentic and has a big personality without necessarily dominating the space."

From BBC ● May 14, 2025

“He reached out and touched people growing up in this melting pot. He cut right through it and understood us.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2022

“There is this myth of assimilation, the myth of the melting pot. I say it is a myth because that has never happened,” he continued.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2022

Told of his friend’s analogy, Amer offered a correction: “I like salad bowl better than melting pot. Everybody loses their own identity in the melting pot. In a salad bowl, everything retains its original flavor.”

From New York Times ● Aug. 19, 2022

“But to use the knowledge of the threading, you must learn the making of the shades. When to sadden with the iron pot. How to bloom the colors. How to bleed.”

From "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry

And unlike other melting pots that demand assimilation, Brazil often assimilates itself to its diasporas, expanding its cultural definitions to include theirs in what it means to be Brazilian.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026

Thousands of Canadians labored through frigid conditions to build smelting pots and a hydropower plant to fuel them—in just 18 months.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026

Importantly, the shape and manufacturing technique of the pots themselves help us date the cargo.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026

And the hit to pension pots can be stark.

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026

Instead they would pile the freshly formed and painted pots interlaced with sun-dried mesquite and make a bonfire of the whole pile.

From This Side of Wild by Gary Paulsen

Depicted with potted plants, ample relaxation room, and chic luggage storage under Saarinen tulip tables, the people mover, the video promises, “will perhaps be best known for its convenience and its feeling of luxury.”

From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026

One such element she shared in her posts is a large brown boucle and wood chair that sits atop a beige rug, alongside a large potted plant.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

Two crossing paths divide the space into four quarters planted with lavender and potted lemon trees.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 11, 2026

He potted the green as the 16th red before adding his opening black and then reeling off 15 reds, 13 further blacks and two pinks before clearing the final six colours to reach 153.

From BBC ● Mar. 20, 2026

They’d looked like potted sticks, and Great Ellen hadn’t stopped the little girl from grabbing at them.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

“But, you know, I got things to do. I gotta buy potting soil, and, you know, plant a plant.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026

Depending on what they learn, the fix for future planting projects could be as simple as mixing a bit of native earth into the potting soil where the Joshua tree seedlings are grown.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026

He also met a group of primary school pupils taking part in potting in the foundation's Growing Together, Cooking Together programme.

From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026

Former world number one Mark Allen produced a superb potting display as he fought back from 6-4 down to beat China's Zhang Anda 10-6 in the first round of the World Snooker Championship.

From BBC ● Apr. 19, 2026

I’m suddenly aware how odd it is to be running with a load of potting soil in a wheelchair.

From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen

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