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View synonyms for

pot

1

[pot]

noun

  1. a container of earthenware, metal, etc., usually round and deep and having a handle or handles and often a lid, used for cooking, serving, and other purposes.

  2. such a container with its contents.

    a pot of stew.

  3. the amount contained in or held by a pot; potful.

  4. a flowerpot.

  5. a container of liquor or other drink.

    a pot of ale.

  6. liquor or other drink.

  7. a cagelike vessel for trapping fish, lobsters, eels, etc., typically made of wood, wicker, or wire.

  8. a chamber pot.

  9. Metallurgy.

    1. a vessel for melting metal; melting pot.

    2. an electrolytic cell for reducing certain metals, as aluminum, from fused salts.

  10. British.

    1. a chimney pot.

    2. Dialect.a basket or box used for carrying provisions or the like; a pannier.

  11. Slang.a large sum of money.

  12. all the money bet at a single time; pool.

  13. British Slang.(in horse racing) the favorite.

  14. a potshot.

  15. a liquid measure, usually equal to a pint or quart.

  16. Armor.

    1. an open, broad-brimmed helmet of the 17th century.

    2. any open helmet.

  17. Slang.a potbelly.



verb (used with object)

potted, potting 
  1. to put into a pot.

  2. to preserve (food) in a pot.

  3. to cook in a pot.

  4. to transplant into a pot.

    We must pot the petunias.

  5. Hunting.

    1. to shoot (game birds) on the ground or water, or (game animals) at rest, instead of in flight or running.

      He can't even pot a sitting duck.

    2. to shoot for food, not for sport.

  6. Informal.to capture, secure, or win.

verb (used without object)

potted, potting 
  1. Informal.to take a potshot; shoot.

pot

2

[pot]

noun

Slang.
  1. marijuana.

pot

3

[pot]

noun

Scot. and North England.
  1. a deep hole; pit.

pot.

4

abbreviation

Electricity.
  1. potential.

  2. potentiometer.

pot

1

/ ɒ /

noun

  1. a container made of earthenware, glass, or similar material; usually round and deep, often having a handle and lid, used for cooking and other domestic purposes

  2. short for flowerpot teapot

  3. the amount that a pot will hold; potful

  4. a chamber pot, esp a small one designed for a baby or toddler

  5. a handmade piece of pottery

  6. a large mug or tankard, as for beer

  7. any of various measures used for serving beer

  8. informala cup or trophy, esp of silver, awarded as a prize in a competition

  9. the money or stakes in the pool in gambling games, esp poker

  10. informal(often plural) a large amount, esp of money

  11. a wicker trap for catching fish, esp crustaceans

    a lobster pot

  12. billiards snooker a shot by which a ball is pocketed

  13. short for chimneypot

  14. informala joint fund created by a group of individuals or enterprises and drawn upon by them for specified purposes

  15. hunting See pot shot

  16. See potbelly

  17. to go to ruin; deteriorate

“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

verb

  1. to set (a plant) in a flowerpot to grow

  2. to put or preserve (goods, meat, etc) in a pot

  3. to cook (food) in a pot

  4. to shoot (game) for food rather than for sport

  5. to shoot (game birds or animals) while they are on the ground or immobile rather than flying or running

  6. (also intr) to shoot casually or without careful aim at (an animal, etc)

  7. to sit (a baby or toddler) on a chamber pot

  8. (also intr) to shape clay as a potter

  9. billiards snooker to pocket (a ball)

  10. informalto capture or win; secure

“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

pot

2

/ ɒ /

noun

    1. dialecta deep hole or pothole

    2. ( capital when part of a name )

      Pen-y-Ghent Pot

“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

pot

3

/ ɒ /

noun

  1. slangcannabis used as a drug in any form, such as leaves (marijuana or hemp) or resin (hashish)

“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

pot

4

/ ɒ /

noun

  1. informalshort for potentiometer

“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
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Other Word Forms

  • potlike adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of pot1

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English pott; cognate with Dutch, Low German pot, Old Icelandic pottr, Swedish pott, potta, Danish pot, potte; further origin uncertain

Origin of pot2

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40; said to be a shortening of Mexican Spanish potiguaya or potaguaya, apparently contraction of potación de guaya wine or brandy in which marijuana buds have been steeped (literally, “drink of grief” )

Origin of pot3

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English potte, perhaps identical with pot 1
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Word History and Origins

Origin of pot1

Late Old English pott, from Medieval Latin pottus (unattested), perhaps from Latin ōٳܲ a drink; compare Middle Low German pot, Old Norse pottr

Origin of pot2

C14: perhaps identical with pot 1 but possibly of Scandinavian origin; compare Swedish dialect putt water hole, pit

Origin of pot3

C20: perhaps shortened from Mexican Indian potiguaya
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. sweeten the pot, sweeten.

  2. stir the pot, to promote instability or conflict, as by taunting, encouraging, or otherwise provoking the participants in an ongoing disagreement.

    Trolls on Twitter just want to stir the pot.

  3. go to pot, to become ruined; deteriorate.

    With no one to care for it, the lovely old garden went to pot.

In addition to the idiom beginning with pot, also see fish or cut bait (shit or get off the pot); go to pot; hit the jackpot; sweeten the kitty (pot); take potluck; tempest in a teapot; watched pot never boils.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Sizewell C has had other pots of funding confirmed over the years by government and in September 2023 a formal process to raise private investment was opened.

From

He said the government would have "more money in the pot, more growth, more revenue" if it pursued closer trading ties with Europe.

From

You know the one: a beloved grandmother, a simmering pot of red sauce, a mysterious ingredient no one can quite name.

From

Nearby sits a potted olive tree and a lighted antique silver Illuminazione candle.

From

He said part of the issue is there "is not a Wales pot of money for rail, we have to fight our corner in the England and Wales pot".

From

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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.

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