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• pot
  pot

  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.
• pot.
  pot.

  abbreviation

  potential.

pot

¹ American  

[pot] / pɒt /

noun

1. 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.

2. such a container with its contents.

   a pot of stew.

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

4. a flowerpot.

5. a container of liquor or other drink.

   a pot of ale.

6. liquor or other drink.

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

8. a chamber pot.

9. Metallurgy.

   1. a vessel for melting metal; melting pot.

   2. an electrolytic cell for reducing certain metals, as aluminum, from fused salts.

10. British.

    1. a chimney pot.

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

11. Slang. a large sum of money.

12. all the money bet at a single time; pool.

13. British Slang. (in horse racing) the favorite.

14. a potshot.

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

16. Armor.

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

    2. any open helmet.

17. Slang. a potbelly.

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verb (used with object)

• pots,
  present (3rd person singular)
• potted,
  past participle,  past
• potting
  present participle

1. to put into a pot.

2. to preserve (food) in a pot.

3. to cook in a pot.

4. to transplant into a pot.

   We must pot the petunias.

5. Hunting.

   1. 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.

   2. to shoot for food, not for sport.

6. Informal. to capture, secure, or win.

verb (used without object)

• pots,
  present (3rd person singular)
• potted,
  past participle,  past
• potting
  present participle

1. Informal. to take a potshot; shoot.

idioms

1. sweeten the pot, sweeten.

2. 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.

3. go to pot, to become ruined; deteriorate.

   With no one to care for it, the lovely old garden went to pot.

pot ² American  

[pot] / pɒt /

noun

Slang.

1. marijuana.

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pot ³ American  

[pot] / pɒt /

noun

Scot. and North England.

1. a deep hole; pit.

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pot. ⁴ American  

abbreviation

Electricity.

1. potential.

2. potentiometer.

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pot ¹ British  

/ pɒt /

noun

1. 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

2. short for flowerpot teapot

3. the amount that a pot will hold; potful

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

5. a handmade piece of pottery

6. a large mug or tankard, as for beer

7. any of various measures used for serving beer

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

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

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

11. a wicker trap for catching fish, esp crustaceans

    a lobster pot

12. billiards snooker a shot by which a ball is pocketed

13. short for chimneypot

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

15. hunting See pot shot

16. See potbelly

17. to go to ruin; deteriorate

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verb

1. to set (a plant) in a flowerpot to grow

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

3. to cook (food) in a pot

4. to shoot (game) for food rather than for sport

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

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

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

8. (also intr) to shape clay as a potter

9. billiards snooker to pocket (a ball)

10. informal to capture or win; secure

pot ² British  

/ pɒt /

noun

1. 1. dialect a deep hole or pothole

   2. ( capital when part of a name )

      Pen-y-Ghent Pot

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pot ³ British  

/ pɒt /

noun

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

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pot ⁴ British  

/ pɒt /

noun

1. informal short for potentiometer

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pot More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing pot

• 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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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• potlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• potting
  present
• potted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• pot
  simple
• pots
  simple
• have potted
  perfect
• has potted
  perfect
• am potting
  progressive
• are potting
  progressive
• is potting
  progressive
• have been potting
  perfect progressive
• has been potting
  perfect progressive

Past

• potted
  simple
• had potted
  perfect
• was potting
  progressive
• were potting
  progressive
• had been potting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will pot
  simple
• will have potted
  perfect
• will be potting
  progressive
• will have been potting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of pot¹

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

Origin of pot²

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40; 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” )

Origin of pot³

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English potte, perhaps identical with pot ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pot pot. pots potted potting

“The stock market is a positive-sum game where fees are low and the total pot consistently expands,” Roche noted.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

The Super Bowl is perennially the most watched TV event of the year, bringing in a huge pot of revenue for the media company holding the rights.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

A city long-known as a melting pot of cultures suddenly feels vulnerable.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

Not the exact recipe, but the form: toast, pasta, a frittata, a rice bowl, a substantial salad, perhaps a pot of soup or stew.

From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026

She makes us a big pot of buttery grits with shrimp.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

And “it’s kind of nice to just make a pot. It’s a little bit more like I have control over this.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2023

But an older motorcycle taxi driver says legalising marijuana has neither helped nor harmed him: "We're not paying attention because we haven't been smoking pot. It doesn't matter to us anyway."

From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2023

“He reached out and touched people growing up in this melting pot. He cut right through it and understood us.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2022

“We are struggling as it is, but right now we’re in a bubbling pot. You’re getting people panicking,” Donnelly said, dishing up turkey curry and onion bhajis to serve people recently.

From Seattle Times ● May 23, 2022

Lina took the seed and the pot. she said.

From "The City of Ember" by Jeanne DuPrau

On the last day of the retreat, we put the finishing touches on our pinch pots.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

Barbie hid in a backroom while Peter slammed doors and banged pots and pans to scare off the intruder.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

They also divide money into different pots, including savings and smaller funds for predictable spending like haircuts.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

There’s a massive plant wall flanking one side of the Main Hall, with about 1,200 pots of living greens.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

The dinging of pots and pans in the caf, the chatter over meals.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

One such element she shared in her posts is a large brown boucle and wood chair that sits atop a beige rug, alongside a large potted plant.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

For readers enjoying their potted orchids at home, Mr. Haskell has a sobering message.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026

And it also shined a spotlight on Gabbard’s effectiveness in her position, since she basically serves the function of a potted plant.

From Salon ● Mar. 22, 2026

He potted the green as the 16th red before adding his opening black and then reeling off 15 reds, 13 further blacks and two pinks before clearing the final six colours to reach 153.

From BBC ● Mar. 20, 2026

Du Barry gave each one of us a flower potted inside a wire birdcage, and instructed us to change its color and shape.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton

Depending on what they learn, the fix for future planting projects could be as simple as mixing a bit of native earth into the potting soil where the Joshua tree seedlings are grown.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026

In the penultimate frame of the match, O'Sullivan looked on course for a maximum 147 break, potting nine reds and eight blacks, before opting to go for a blue in a break of 113.

From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026

She created Petersham Nurseries Café, with a dirt floor, wobbly old chairs, secondhand cooking gear installed in a former potting shed, and a simple menu based on whatever was growing in the adjacent garden.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 3, 2025

But Mrs Bayley points out that the process is remarkably similar to what amateur gardeners do in a potting shed, taking a cutting from a much-loved rose to grow another.

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2025

I pull away and laugh, then tell Gavin, “He’s saying, ‘You kissed a one-legged girl who’s pushing around a wheelchair with potting soil in it!’”

From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen

Related Words

• basin
• bowl
• bucket
• can
• cup
• jar
• jug
• kettle
• mug
• pan
• saucepan
• urn
• vessel