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
The handprint found underneath was probably made when someone, perhaps the potter, moved the house out of the workshop to dry before firing in a kiln, according to the researchers.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2025
She’s been a potter, a poet and a felonious con artist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2024
As usual, the potter was nowhere in sight at the end of the day, so Tree-ear left the cart parked under the eaves and went to retrieve the remaining half of his midday meal.
From "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park
Fears that SpaceX could undercut wireless rates and squeeze launch capacity led Potter to trim his assumed monthly price for AST SpaceMobile’s service to $12 from $15.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
Shares in Firmus should be expected to trade at a discount relative to those in CoreWeave, said Chris Savage, an analyst at Bell Potter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Paramount will acquire ownership of iconic franchises that include Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, The Lord of the Rings and Mission: Impossible.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
It would also give Ellison a vast entertainment empire that includes franchises such as Harry Potter, DC superheroes and “Game of Thrones,” as well as cable networks like CNN and Cartoon Network.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
Like how Hudson took a week to read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and I was done within six hours.
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
If local potters had simply copied the decorative appearance, the underlying construction would instead reflect familiar Tampa Bay practices such as sand tempering.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
The jugs are handmade and hand painted by potters at Bairstow Manor in Stoke-on-Trent.
From BBC ● Mar. 20, 2026
Wherever Mr. Fox travels, and especially in Hackney, in London’s East End, he has noted the rapid proliferation of craft breweries, quilters, potters, basket-makers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 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
The other potters seemed to slump as one into dejection, all but abandoning their work in favor of long, lugubrious visits to the wine shop, where they commiserated with one another.
From "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park
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