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teakettle

American  
[tee-ket-l] / ˈtiˌkɛt l /

noun

  1. a portable kettle with a cover, spout, and handle, used for boiling water.

teakettle British  
/ ˈtiːˌkɛtəl /

noun

  1. a kettle for boiling water to make tea

"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 teakettle

First recorded in 1695–1705; tea + kettle

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.

I went ass over teakettle, tumbling and flipping and flopping down the hill, just a ball of dust.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026

Dougherty’s mother has a copper teakettle that crossed the Atlantic with Finnish ancestors, and Dougherty’s son has already called dibs on the piece.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 21, 2023

In response, 25 members of the group sent in sound clips ranging from the whistle of a teakettle to the sound of a toddler singing.

From New York Times • Jun. 15, 2022

Every four years, when the Winter Olympics come around, TV viewers stop and notice men and women in funny looking pants furiously sweeping in front of what looks like a giant teakettle sliding on ice.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 9, 2022

I put down my backpack and went into the kitchen to fill the teakettle.

From "Maybe He Just Likes You" by Barbara Dee

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.