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.

---

verb (used with object)

potted, potting

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)

potted, potting

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.

---

pot ³ American  

[pot] / pɒt /

noun

Scot. and North England.

1. a deep hole; pit.

---

pot. ⁴ American  

abbreviation

Electricity.

1. potential.

2. potentiometer.

---

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

---

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

---

pot ³ British  

/ pɒt /

noun

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

---

pot ⁴ British  

/ pɒt /

noun

1. informal short for potentiometer

---

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

---

Other Word Forms

• potlike adjective

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

Officials decided to sweeten the pot by offering to export the “Taiwan model” of high-tech industrial clusters to America.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

Plus, the idea of one of us giving up our rent-controlled apartment felt like throwing a pot of gold into the Pacific.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026

The moves you make will depend on the pot of money you start with and the severity of her diagnosis.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 11, 2026

There is a pot of money available to help homeowners with the installation costs but it's finite and demand for heat pumps is growing.

From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026

When you are the frog in the pot, you sometimes congratulate yourself for surviving the heat, failing to notice the temperature increasing.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

Related Words

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