potter
noun
a person who makes pottery.
potter
1 American
[pot-er]
/ ˈpɒt ər /
noun
potters
plural
potter
2
American
[pot-er]
/ ˈpɒt ər /
verb (used without object)
Chiefly British.
Potter
3
American
[pot-er]
/ ˈpɒt ər /
noun
-
Beatrix 1866–1943, English writer and illustrator of children's books.
-
Paul, 1625–54, Dutch painter.
Potter
1
British
/ ˈpɒtə /
noun
-
( Helen ) Beatrix. 1866–1943, British author and illustrator of children's animal stories, such as The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902)
-
Dennis ( Christopher George ). 1935–94, British dramatist. His TV plays include Pennies from Heaven (1978), The Singing Detective (1986), and Blackeyes (1989)
-
Paulus. 1625–54, Dutch painter, esp of animals
-
Stephen. 1900–70, British humorist and critic. Among his best-known works are Gamesmanship (1947) and One-Upmanship (1952), on the art of achieving superiority over others
potter
2
British
/ ˈpɒtə /
verb
-
(intr; often foll by about or around) to busy oneself in a desultory though agreeable manner
-
(intr; often foll by along or about) to move with little energy or direction
to potter about town
-
to waste (time)
to potter the day away
noun
potter
3
British
/ ˈpɒtə /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of potter1
before 1100; Middle English; late Old English pottere. See pot 1, -er 1
Origin of potter2
1520–30; frequentative of obsolete, dial. pote to push, poke, Middle English poten, Old English potian to push, thrust. See put, -er 6
Explanation
If you regularly make bowls and mugs out of clay, you can call yourself a potter. Potters shape soft clay either by pinching it with their fingers or turning it on a wheel while pulling and squeezing the moving clay. After shaping and sometimes glazing or decorating a piece of pottery, a potter bakes it at a high temperature in a special oven called a kiln. The verb potter, "occupy one's self in a pleasant, unhurried way," comes from a different root from the noun — so a potter doesn't necessarily potter around her studio.
Vocabulary lists containing potter
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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.
See Examples For:
But that requires more time and energy than I’m willing to sacrifice while raising a young child and entertaining my dreams of becoming a star potter.
From Slate ● Apr. 20, 2026
Chamlee once picked up a charming ceramic sun at a yard sale for $30—only to learn via Google that the stamp on the back marked it as a rare piece by midcentury potter David Gil.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 8, 2025
At first glance, the potter wasp appears to be riding a broomstick.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2025
During her residency, she met Michael Frimkess, a Los Angeles potter who had studied with ceramic revolutionary Peter Voulkos at what would become the Otis College of Art and Design.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2024
“You just chose natural things. How about paintings, or music. We say, ‘The potter makes a beautiful vase.’
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
I only sell fiction, but you have Katniss Everdeen in “The Hunger Games,” you have Harry Potter in Hogwarts, you have Thomas in “The Maze Runner.”
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
In an earnings call in May, Grocery Outlet Chief Executive Jason Potter said the restructuring was helping boost the company’s profit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
Elise was described as a teenager who loved animals and Harry Potter.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Since the 2000s, the movie business has been dominated by franchises like Marvel, Harry Potter and Jurassic World, which are owned or controlled by major studios.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
It’s almost like we can pretend we’re still kids or something—and I wonder if that’s also why we like reading kids’ books like Harry Potter.
From "Boy21" by Matthew Quick
Ojai has long been home to Theosophists, avant-gardists, potters and naturalists joining other outsiders and mystics with a whim for wonder.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
The founder of Cincinnati’s Rookwood Pottery company, Maria Longworth Nichols, hired potters from Japan such as Kitaro Shirayamadani, who came to work at her factory in 1887.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2025
While ceramics were widely used and vast amounts of pottery survive, there are relatively few details known about the potters themselves, in comparison to other ancient Egyptian craftsmen.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2025
We inherited many of Beverly’s treasures once the place became ours, including richly hued bowls, mugs and serving pieces made by regional potters as well as signed oils and watercolors, drawings and numbered prints.
From Salon ● Jan. 16, 2025
Every once in a while an inexperienced potter would try his hand at painting his pieces, but the more accomplished potters, Min and Kang among them, had long ago given up trying the technique.
From "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park
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.
