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Showing results for potter. Search instead for poter.
Synonyms

potter

1 American  
[pot-er] / ˈpɒt ər /

noun

  1. a person who makes pottery.

potter 2 American  
[pot-er] / ˈpɒt ər /

verb (used without object)

Chiefly British.

  1. putter.

Potter 3 American  
[pot-er] / ˈpɒt ər /

noun

  1. Beatrix 1866–1943, English writer and illustrator of children's books.

  2. Paul, 1625–54, Dutch painter.

Potter 1 British  
/ ˈpɒtə /

noun

  1. ( Helen ) Beatrix. 1866–1943, British author and illustrator of children's animal stories, such as The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902)

  2. Dennis ( Christopher George ). 1935–94, British dramatist. His TV plays include Pennies from Heaven (1978), The Singing Detective (1986), and Blackeyes (1989)

  3. Paulus. 1625–54, Dutch painter, esp of animals

  4. Stephen. 1900–70, British humorist and critic. Among his best-known works are Gamesmanship (1947) and One-Upmanship (1952), on the art of achieving superiority over others

"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
potter 2 British  
/ ˈpɒtə /

verb

  1. (intr; often foll by about or around) to busy oneself in a desultory though agreeable manner

  2. (intr; often foll by along or about) to move with little energy or direction

    to potter about town

  3. to waste (time)

    to potter the day away
"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

noun

  1. the act of pottering

"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
potter 3 British  
/ ˈpɒtə /

noun

  1. a person who makes pottery

"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

Other Word Forms

  • potterer noun
  • potteringly adverb

Etymology

Origin of potter1

before 1100; Middle English; late Old English pottere. See pot 1, -er 1

Origin of potter2

1520–30; frequentative of obsolete, dial. pote to push, poke, Middle English poten, Old English potian to push, thrust. See put, -er 6

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Chamlee once picked up a charming ceramic sun at a yard sale for $30—only to learn via Google that the stamp on the back marked it as a rare piece by midcentury potter David Gil.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 8, 2025

"I used to love to just sit on a stool and potter in the garden but now I'm restricted – I can't get down to get close."

From BBC • May 17, 2025

The couple made the place their own by lining open shelves with vintage cafe pitchers, old stoneware confit pots and sgraffito ceramics by the Marseillais potter Vincent Verde.

From New York Times • Mar. 20, 2024

As the potter works the spinning wheel, the friction between their hands and the soft clay helps them shape it into all kinds of forms and creations.

From Science Daily • Jan. 9, 2024

The potter stared at the boy for a long moment.

From "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park

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.