kettle

American  

[ket-l] / ˈkɛt l /

noun

• kettles
  plural

1. a metal container in which to boil liquids, cook foods, etc.; pot.

2. a teakettle.

3. a kettledrum.

4. Geology. kettle hole.

5. an enclosed area to which demonstrators are herded for containment by police.

   Journalists were the first to be allowed to leave the kettle.

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verb (used with object)

1. to surround and contain (demonstrators) in an enclosed area.

   Most demonstrators were too distracted to notice they were being kettled.

kettle British  

/ ˈkɛtəl /

noun

1. a metal or plastic container with a handle and spout for boiling water

2. any of various metal containers for heating liquids, cooking fish, etc

3. a large metal vessel designed to withstand high temperatures, used in various industrial processes such as refining and brewing

4. informal an enclosed space formed by a police cordon in order to contain people involved in a public demonstration

5. short for kettle hole

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verb

1. informal (tr) (of a police force) to contain (people involved in a public demonstration) in an enclosed space

kettle Scientific  

/ kĕt′l /

1. A steep, bowl-shaped hollow in ground once covered by a glacier. Kettles are believed to form when a block of ice left by a glacier becomes covered by sediments and later melts, leaving a hollow. They are usually tens of meters deep and up to tens of kilometers in diameter and often contain surface water.

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kettle Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing kettle

• pot calling the kettle black

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• kettles
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of kettle

First recorded before 900; Middle English ketel, from Old Norse ketill, ultimately derived from Latin catillus, diminutive of catīnus “pot”; replacing Old English cetel, cietel, ultimately from Latin as above; compare German Kessel

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Explanation

A kettle is a pot made for boiling water. Most kettles are metal, with a lid and a spout. If you're in the mood for a cup of tea, it might be time to "put the kettle on." You can use the word kettle to mean "metal cooking pot," although it's mostly used for the kind you use to make your tea or instant soup. If you want to comment on the incredible awkwardness of a situation, you can use the colloquial phrase, "Well, this is a fine kettle of fish," and if you criticize a friend for something you're also guilty of, she might say, "That's the pot calling the kettle black!"

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

kettle kettles

Other essentials, such as the kettle which needs 3 kilowatts of electricity, will be powered through a mix of the 800 watts flowing from the panel with the rest coming from the national grid.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

Police may close roads, establish perimeters, kettle crowds, redirect traffic, block movement, and call those acts public order.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

America is often described as a melting pot—in culinary terms, a communal meal in which every dish is poured into a giant kettle and stirred into an unappetizing uniformity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

The problem is similar to mineral scale building up inside a tea kettle or clogging a shower head over time, except seawater contains far higher concentrations of dissolved salts.

From Science Daily ● May 31, 2026

They always flew along the wires of this place like a kettle of jeweled hawks, cresting over the rooftops of turreted houses and quaint shops all stuck together like assorted taffies.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

The family initially boiled kettles to fill up buckets to wash and clean the dishes, but they've now invested in a camping shower.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

Steam on the older Nimitz ships powers not only the aircraft catapults, but also heating and evaporators that produce freshwater and galley equipment, such as kettles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

In Africa, after poachers kill a protected animal for its tusks, or its organs, or its hide, wardens are often alerted to the illegal activity by the kettles of vultures circling overhead.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

He is now at the helm of a £564m UK empire selling a host of big and small household appliances from TVs, laptops and phones, to fridge freezers, washing machines, kettles and toasters.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2025

Alyce asked the kitchen maid skinning a pig in the manor yard, the laundress boiling great kettles of goose fat for soap, the carpenters fashioning a coffin for Old Ned, who had died that morning.

From "The Midwife's Apprentice" by Karen Cushman

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Related Words

• boiler
• cauldron
• pot
• steamer

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