pottery

American  

[pot-uh-ree] / ˈpɒt ə ri /

noun

plural

potteries

1. ceramic ware, especially earthenware and stoneware.

2. the art or business of a potter; ceramics.

3. a place where earthen pots or vessels are made.

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pottery British  

/ ˈpɒtərɪ /

noun

1. articles, vessels, etc, made from earthenware and dried and baked in a kiln

2. a place where such articles are made

3. the craft or business of making such articles

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Etymology

Origin of pottery

First recorded in 1475–85; potter ¹ + -y ³

Compare meaning

How does pottery compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• ceramics vs. pottery

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.

Example Sentences

Cox has also presented several TV programmes for the BBC, including The Great Pottery Throw Down and book review series Between The Covers.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026

The Great Pottery Throw Down judge Keith Brymer Jones and actor Marj Hogarth are on a quest to transform a 163-year-old chapel in north Wales.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

By keeping buttoned up about its plans and intentions, Team Trump appears to have spared itself the Pottery Barn rule.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 6, 2026

Pottery fragments support this timeline, with the oldest pieces dating to between c.2305 to 1980 BCE.

From Science Daily • Jan. 4, 2026

Pottery, recorded in the Sudan and Sahara around 8000 B.C., did not reach the Cape until around A.D.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond