teapot

American  

[tee-pot] / ˈtiˌpɒt /

noun

• teapots
  plural

1. a container with a lid, spout, and handle, in which tea is made and from which it is poured.

---

teapot British  

/ ˈtiːˌpɒt /

noun

1. a container with a lid, spout, and handle, in which tea is made and from which it is served

---

teapot Idioms  

1. see tempest in a teapot.

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• teapots
  plural

Etymology

Origin of teapot

First recorded in 1610–20; tea + pot ¹

Explanation

When you were little, you might have learned a ditty about a teapot: "I'm a little teapot, short and stout / Here is my handle, here is my spout..." As its name suggests, a teapot is a vessel in which you brew tea. "Tip me over and pour me out!" To make tea, put loose tea or tea bags in a teapot and fill it with very hot water. After the tea steeps, you can pour it into cups. The very first teapots were made in China, and historians believe that tea was drunk directly from the spout, rather than being poured into a cup for drinking. These earliest teapots were made of metal. In the 17th century, porcelain teapots became more common.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

teapot teapots

The Moon helps point the way to a celestial teapot, Venus becomes exceptionally bright, the seasons officially turn, and the Harvest Moon appears with two planetary companions.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 3, 2026

Amusing and brightly satirical as this turn of events is, it begins to feel more like a tempest in a teapot than the sustainable story engine Hirons was aiming for.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

Even then, he omitted from his threat list China’s banks, which do business with Iran, and China’s teapot refineries.

From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026

A number of items listed on the charge sheet including Le Creuset and Joseph Joseph kitchen implements, an Alessi teapot and various Molton Brown toiletries were found inside the vehicle.

From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026

Because I’ve crossed the room to wipe my face and put away the teapot.

From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron

But in 2015, to enhance competition, Beijing started giving teapots more freedom to refine petroleum sourced from abroad.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

Purchases by Hengli and other teapots also explain how China continues to provide a financial lifeline to Tehran.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

The teapots are now at the forefront of one of China’s most crucial energy relationships.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026

Beijing gradually increased the amount of oil the teapots could import.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026

The girls from my barracks have made this little side room into a bridal suite, with glasses and teapots full of flowers.

From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper