melting pot

American  

noun

1. a pot in which metals or other substances are melted or fused.

2. a country, locality, or situation in which cultural assimilation results in blending the heritage and traditions of previously distinct ethnic groups.

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melting pot British  

noun

1. a pot in which metals or other substances are melted, esp in order to mix them

2. an area in which many races, ideas, etc, are mixed

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melting pot Cultural  

1. A term expressing the view that immigrants to the United States have been fused or melted into a single people.

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Etymology

Origin of melting pot

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425

Example Sentences

Ellaird Bailey, 77, a retired technician at a telecommunications company, settled here with his wife in 1984 so his children could grow up in this "melting pot."

From Barron's

In the melting pot that was Chicago, immigrant parents brought their children to him because he always found a way to communicate with them and care for their children, often for free.

From The Wall Street Journal

That’s diversity, the melting pot, the freedom we hold dear to be whatever we are.

From Los Angeles Times

“We are a melting pot, and soccer is a foundation for all those cultures coming together,” Hamm said.

From Los Angeles Times

For centuries it was “the world’s greatest melting pot” of indigenous, European, African, Caribbean and Asian peoples, the crossroads of the vast Spanish empire.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• fusion
• pluralism