pot

[ pot ]

/ pɒt /

noun

a container of earthenware, metal, etc., usually round and deep and having a handle or handles and often a lid, used for cooking, serving, and other purposes.

such a container with its contents: a pot of stew.

the amount contained in or held by a pot; potful.

a flowerpot.

a container of liquor or other drink: a pot of ale.

liquor or other drink.

a cagelike vessel for trapping fish, lobsters, eels, etc., typically made of wood, wicker, or wire.Compare lobster pot.

a chamber pot.

Metallurgy.

a vessel for melting metal; melting pot.
an electrolytic cell for reducing certain metals, as aluminum, from fused salts.

British.

chimney pot.
Dialect. a basket or box used for carrying provisions or the like; a pannier.

Slang. a large sum of money.

all the money bet at a single time; pool.

British Slang. (in horse racing) the favorite.

potshot.

a liquid measure, usually equal to a pint or quart.

Armor.

an open, broad-brimmed helmet of the 17th century.
any open helmet.

Slang. a potbelly.

verb (used with object), pot·ted, pot·ting.

to put into a pot.

to preserve (food) in a pot.

to cook in a pot.

to transplant into a pot: We must pot the petunias.

Hunting.

to shoot (game birds) on the ground or water, or (game animals) at rest, instead of in flight or running: He can't even pot a sitting duck.
to shoot for food, not for sport.

Informal. to capture, secure, or win.

verb (used without object), pot·ted, pot·ting.

Informal. to take a potshot; shoot.

QUIZZES

DON’T VACILLATE! VANQUISH THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

It’d be a real faux pas to miss this quiz on the words from August 3–9, 2020!

Question 1 of 7

What does “vacillate” mean?

to waver in mind or opinion; be indecisive or irresolute.

to cause to be empty or unoccupied.

to assent tacitly; agree; consent.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms for pot

go to pot, to become ruined; deteriorate: With no one to care for it, the lovely old garden went to pot.

stir the pot, to promote instability or conflict, as by taunting, encouraging, or otherwise provoking the participants in an ongoing disagreement: Trolls on Twitter just want to stir the pot.

sweeten the pot, Informal. sweeten (def. 8).

Origin of pot

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English pott; cognate with Dutch, Low German pot, Old Icelandic pottr, Swedish pott, potta, Danish pot, potte; further origin uncertain

OTHER WORDS FROM pot

potlike, adjective

Words nearby pot

postvertebral, postviral syndrome, postvocalic, postwar, posy, pot, potable, potae, potage, potager, potamic

Definition for pot (2 of 4)

pot²

[ pot ]

/ pɒt /

noun Slang.

marijuana.

Origin of pot

1935–40, Americanism; said to be a shortening of Mexican Spanish potiguaya or potaguaya, apparently contraction of potación de guaya wine or brandy in which marijuana buds have been steeped (literally, drink of grief)

Definition for pot (3 of 4)

pot³

[ pot ]

/ pɒt /

noun Scot. and North England.

a deep hole; pit.

Origin of pot

1325–75; Middle English; perhaps identical with pot¹

Definition for pot (4 of 4)

pot.

Electricity.

potential.

potentiometer.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for pot

Set a heatproof bowl over a pot of gently simmering water, making sure that the bowl does not touch the surface of the water.
Carla Hall’s Christmas Day Treat: Rum Balls|Carla Hall|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So too does Inherent Vice, which is something like a love letter written in pot smoke to the Gold Coast.
Paul Thomas Anderson: The West Coast’s Scorsese|Nick Schager|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Because Wright was a no-show in criminal court to face the loud music and pot bust he already had an outstanding warrant.
The Navy ‘Hero’ Who Pimped an HIV-Positive Teen|M.L. Nestel|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was in the bathroom, perhaps trying to flush some pot down the toilet, when a cop burst in.
‘I Can’t Breathe!’ ‘I Can’t Breathe!’ A Moral Indictment of Cop Culture|Michael Daly|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST

This is a twist on a classic American pot pie but dressed up for company.
Make These Barefoot Contessa Chicken Pot Pies|Ina Garten|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Remove the bouquet garni, strain the broth through a fine sieve and return to the pot.
The Hotel St. Francis Cook Book|Victor Hirtzler
So he thought he'd best boil the porridge, and he filled the pot with water, and hung it over the fire.
East O' the Sun and West O' the Moon|Gudrun Thorne-Thomsen
Meanwhile he was as busy as a fly in a pot, between Buchynek and the city, and even made new acquaintances.
Children of the Soil|Henryk Sienkiewicz
The brush, pot, and paint were then handed back to the official weigher and the difference in weight recorded.
Paint Technology and Tests|Henry A. Gardner
The homminy had salt in it, and proved, although eaten out of the pot, a most acceptable repast.
A Sketch of the Life of Brig. Gen. Francis Marion|William Dobein James

British Dictionary definitions for pot (1 of 4)

pot¹

/ (pɒt) /

noun

a container made of earthenware, glass, or similar material; usually round and deep, often having a handle and lid, used for cooking and other domestic purposes

short for flowerpot, teapot

the amount that a pot will hold; potful

a chamber pot, esp a small one designed for a baby or toddler

a handmade piece of pottery

a large mug or tankard, as for beer

Australian any of various measures used for serving beer

informal a cup or trophy, esp of silver, awarded as a prize in a competition

the money or stakes in the pool in gambling games, esp poker

(often plural) informal a large amount, esp of money

a wicker trap for catching fish, esp crustaceansa lobster pot

billiards snooker a shot by which a ball is pocketed

mainly British short for chimneypot

US informal a joint fund created by a group of individuals or enterprises and drawn upon by them for specified purposes

hunting See pot shot

See potbelly

go to pot to go to ruin; deteriorate

verb pots, potting or potted (mainly tr)

to set (a plant) in a flowerpot to grow

to put or preserve (goods, meat, etc) in a pot

to cook (food) in a pot

to shoot (game) for food rather than for sport

to shoot (game birds or animals) while they are on the ground or immobile rather than flying or running

(also intr) to shoot casually or without careful aim at (an animal, etc)

to sit (a baby or toddler) on a chamber pot

(also intr) to shape clay as a potter

billiards snooker to pocket (a ball)

informal to capture or win; secure

Word Origin for pot

Late Old English pott, from Medieval Latin pottus (unattested), perhaps from Latin pōtus a drink; compare Middle Low German pot, Old Norse pottr

British Dictionary definitions for pot (2 of 4)

pot²

/ (pɒt) /

noun

Scot and Northern English dialect a deep hole or pothole
(capital when part of a name)Pen-y-Ghent Pot

Word Origin for pot

C14: perhaps identical with pot 1 but possibly of Scandinavian origin; compare Swedish dialect putt water hole, pit

British Dictionary definitions for pot (3 of 4)

pot³

/ (pɒt) /

noun

slang cannabis used as a drug in any form, such as leaves (marijuana or hemp) or resin (hashish)

Word Origin for pot

C20: perhaps shortened from Mexican Indian potiguaya

British Dictionary definitions for pot (4 of 4)

pot⁴

/ (pɒt) /

noun

informal short for potentiometer

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with pot

pot

In addition to the idiom beginning with pot

pot calling the kettle black, the

also see:

fish or cut bait (shit or get off the pot)
go to pot
hit the jackpot
sweeten the kitty (pot)
take potluck
tempest in a teapot
watched pot never boils

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WORD OF THE DAY

pot

noun

verb (used with object), pot·ted, pot·ting.

verb (used without object), pot·ted, pot·ting.