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• potter
  potter

  noun

  a person who makes pottery.
• Potter
  Potter

  noun

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

potter

¹ American  

[pot-er] / ˈpɒt ər /

noun

• potters
  plural

1. a person who makes pottery.

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potter ² American  

[pot-er] / ˈpɒt ər /

verb (used without object)

Chiefly British.

1. putter.

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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.

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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

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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

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noun

1. the act of pottering

potter ³ British  

/ ˈpɒtə /

noun

1. a person who makes pottery

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• potterer
  noun
• potteringly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• potters
  plural

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

Explanation

If you regularly make bowls and mugs out of clay, you can call yourself a potter. Potters shape soft clay either by pinching it with their fingers or turning it on a wheel while pulling and squeezing the moving clay. After shaping and sometimes glazing or decorating a piece of pottery, a potter bakes it at a high temperature in a special oven called a kiln. The verb potter, "occupy one's self in a pleasant, unhurried way," comes from a different root from the noun — so a potter doesn't necessarily potter around her studio.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

potter Potter potters

But that requires more time and energy than I’m willing to sacrifice while raising a young child and entertaining my dreams of becoming a star potter.

From Slate ● Apr. 20, 2026

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

Prof Irish was also able to establish he was probably a potter.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2025

During her residency, she met Michael Frimkess, a Los Angeles potter who had studied with ceramic revolutionary Peter Voulkos at what would become the Otis College of Art and Design.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2024

On his way to Min’s house early one morning, as the plum trees took on their gold and scarlet autumn garb, Tree-ear spied the potter Kang wheeling a cart toward the kiln site.

From "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park

Permission was also sought to play music along parts of the designated route lined with illuminated features depicting scenes from the Harry Potter franchise.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

“I’ve been a lifelong Harry Potter fan,” Harington told anchor Craig Melvin about his personal connection to the franchise.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

Are the new logos for Hogwarts houses in HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter series actually more “historically” accurate?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

What do Tommy and Tuppence, Harry Potter, “Anne of Green Gables” and the old comic strip “Gasoline Alley” have in common?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

I have my Happy Best Friend Face on, even when some hopeful novelist-looking type our age takes the last available table, opening his laptop to write the Next Harry Potter before I can.

From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

The jugs are handmade and hand painted by potters at Bairstow Manor in Stoke-on-Trent.

From BBC ● Mar. 20, 2026

Wherever Mr. Fox travels, and especially in Hackney, in London’s East End, he has noted the rapid proliferation of craft breweries, quilters, potters, basket-makers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025

We inherited many of Beverly’s treasures once the place became ours, including richly hued bowls, mugs and serving pieces made by regional potters as well as signed oils and watercolors, drawings and numbered prints.

From Salon ● Jan. 16, 2025

While many potters generally do not like repetitive work, Chernoff believes her work as an engineer gave her an aptitude for repetitive tasks without “going out of my mind.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 6, 2023

Unlike other potters, who traced a complete pattern with their initial incisions, Min sometimes varied from the sketchy tracing; his work seemed to flow more freely both in the making and in the final result.

From "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park

Related Words

• fidget
• fool
• interfere