potter's wheel

American

noun

a device with a rotating horizontal disk upon which clay is molded by a potter.

potter's wheel British

noun

a device with a horizontal rotating disc, on which clay is shaped into pots, bowls, etc, by hand

"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

Etymology

Origin of potter's wheel

First recorded in 1720–30

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.

Often he would wake up to the rhythmic sound of his father at work at his potter's wheel.

From BBC • May 26, 2025

Next to the stacks of popcorn, across from her potter’s wheel, a child’s kite rests next to a pop-up tent.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2024

He would kick his potter’s wheel with his sandaled right foot and make his bright turquoise glaze from the ishkar plant, which grows in the nearby desert.

From New York Times • Mar. 22, 2024

Subtle rings from a potter’s wheel made when a piece is thrown, traces from fingertips pinching and sealing the clay together, brush strokes of glaze applied.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 17, 2022

Under the deep eaves at the back, Min kept his potter’s wheel.

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