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.
a chamber pot.
Metallurgy.
a vessel for melting metal; melting pot.
an electrolytic cell for reducing certain metals, as aluminum, from fused salts.
British.
a 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.
a 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.
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.
sweeten the pot, sweeten.
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.
go to pot, to become ruined; deteriorate.
With no one to care for it, the lovely old garden went to pot.
potential.
potentiometer.
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
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
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
informal (often plural) a large amount, esp of money
a wicker trap for catching fish, esp crustaceans
a lobster pot
billiards snooker a shot by which a ball is pocketed
short for chimneypot
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
to go to ruin; deteriorate
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
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
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” )
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English potte, perhaps identical with pot 1
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Within the exhibition halls, a bedroom, living room and kitchen -- complete with a glass jug, coffee pot, and spice containers -- recreate details of daily life in the homes of southern Lebanese residents.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
Trump Accounts estimates the $1,000 starting pot could rise to $6,000 by the time a child reaches 18 even without any further contributions.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
The money your brother did not collect goes back into the pot and will hopefully help keep the program afloat.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 11, 2026
The scent of Mexican spiced coffee brewed in a clay pot wafts through the front room.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
They hadn’t been boiling very long when they started crawling out of the pot as if they were alive.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
Karen said: "The area was starting to fall down, they weren't keeping maintenance on it - the area started going to pot. I don't think they were putting money into it."
From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2025
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
“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
Told of his friend’s analogy, Amer offered a correction: “I like salad bowl better than melting pot. Everybody loses their own identity in the melting pot. In a salad bowl, everything retains its original flavor.”
From New York Times ● Aug. 19, 2022
Lina took the seed and the pot. she said.
From "The City of Ember" by Jeanne DuPrau
"Sticking with the same budget level is disappointing," she said, urging ministers to introduce full details of the scheme's optional and collaborative funding pots quickly.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
She noted that one elder from Kwaaymii Laguna Band of Indians responded with concerns about mud pots and other resources in the area, but it was more than five months after the consultation period closed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
Residents in the worst affected areas have vented their frustrations by setting piles on trash on fire or banging on pots and pans.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
"Pinpointing where large corals occur means we can better protect them by letting people know where not to anchor their boats or drop pots," Professor Bell said.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 25, 2026
Nhamo pretended to pour tea into the pots.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
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
If you could have seen inner Mark when he didn't reach the pink, he was doing somersaults and then I potted a good yellow.
From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2026
Residents can also keep spaced-out potted plants under this height, as long as they’re easily movable.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 18, 2026
For readers enjoying their potted orchids at home, Mr. Haskell has a sobering message.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
Tris and I meet Nita in the hotel lobby after midnight, among the potted plants with their unfurling flowers, a tame wilderness.
From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth
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
She started propagating succulent and houseplant cuttings, potting them in vessels she got from neighbors on a Buy Nothing group.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2025
Zhao Xintong produced a scintillating display of potting to open up a 12-4 lead against seven-time champion Ronnie O'Sullivan in their World Championship semi-final.
From BBC ● May 2, 2025
I’ve heard her keep up a running stream of commentary like this for hours while she’s cooking dinner or potting orchids.
From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
