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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

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

Music to get into character When I settled into my dressing room, three of the things I made sure to immediately do was get a Bluetooth speaker, a teakettle and incense and candles.

From New York Times • Nov. 30, 2021

Rita bustled importantly around the stove, adjusting the temperature, moving a teakettle, flicking toast over with a long fork.

From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer

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.