often attributive
1
a
: a rigid or semirigid container typically of glass or plastic having a comparatively narrow neck or mouth and usually no handle
b
: a usually bottle-shaped container made of skin for storing a liquid
2
: the quantity held by a bottle
3
a
: intoxicating drink : the practice of drinking
slipped deeper and deeper into the bottle—
Anne Bernays
Anne Bernays
b
: liquid food (such as milk) used in place of mother's milk
bottled; bottling
ˈbä-tᵊl-iŋ 
ˈbät-liŋ
1
a
: to confine as if in a bottle : restrain
—usually used with up
bottling up their anger
b
: to put or keep in a position or situation that makes free activity, progress, or escape difficult or impossible
—usually used with up
bottle up legislation in committee
2
: to put into or as if into a bottle
wished she could bottle their energy
Synonyms
Examples of bottle in a Sentence
Noun
We drank a bottle of wine.
He says he's lost too many years to the bottle, and that he's giving up alcohol.
Her struggles with the bottle affected her entire family.
Has the baby finished her bottle yet?
raised on a bottle instead of breast milk
Verb
The restaurant bottles its own ginger ale.
Near the top of the mountain, the climbers relied on bottled oxygen to breathe.
Recent Examples on the WebAnne Gelhaus, The Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2024
So, the team worked with water treatment plants in Houston and El Paso, every week packing up (leak-proof) bottles of sewage and shipping them overnight to Baylor for testing.
—Simar Bajaj, STAT, 5 Apr. 2024
There is the flaming red wig worn by Lucille Ball in Du Barry Was a Lady, the gate from Jane Russell’s childhood home, Jean Harlow’s bottle of Mitsouko perfume, jewelry worn by Carole Lombard, and Mae West’s personal telephone.
—Hadley Meares, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2024
The menu will also boast entrees like lasagna bolognese, sides of fresh sourdough bread and affordable bottles of wine.
—Lily O'Neill, The Denver Post, 4 Apr. 2024
Campus administration contacted a Southlake police school resource officer assigned to Carroll Senior High School regarding several pill bottles found in a teacher’s backpack during a routine third-party K-9 sweep, according to the release.
—Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2024
The distillery is also selling a 100-proof Total Eclipse Moonshine for $29.99 for a 750 ml bottle.
—Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 3 Apr. 2024
For about a week, Blaire delivered her a daily dose of buprenorphine using a Safe RX bottle — essentially a trackable pill bottle with a lock code to limit who can open it.
—Lauren Peace, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024
Combine equal parts water and white vinegar in a spray bottle, and give the counters a good spritz, followed by another wipe-down with a wet cloth.
—Katherine Owen, Southern Living, 27 Mar. 2024
Cynthia Sass, Mph, Health, 8 Apr. 2024
After fermentation the wine remains on the lees for two years prior to bottling and then is aged for an additional three years before release.
—Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 4 Apr. 2024
Documents said police detained Harris on Jan. 5 and brought her to the department headquarters, where Harris admitted to bottle feeding her infant daughter Nyquil and melatonin before propping her in an upward position on the mattress and then placing her 17-month-old daughter in a playpen.
—The Arizona Republic, 23 Feb. 2024
It was bottled at 106 proof and official tasting notes describe brown sugar, toffee, rye spice, rich oak, and tobacco notes on the palate.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 26 Mar. 2024
Buffalo Wild Wings, known for its many chicken wing sauce flavors, has also bottled and sold its sauces for years now, available for purchase at many major retailers.
—Angela L. Pagán / The Takeout, Quartz, 24 Mar. 2024
But the Warriors needed to bottle more of his energy, and more consistently to overcome a poor shooting night.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024
Zoo staff have been working around the clock to bottle feed and care for the infant gorilla.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Mar. 2024
The Kansas City residents who live near Parkville, had to bottle feed their goat every four hours, and all their possible goat-sitters were busy or going to the parade.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 22 Feb. 2024
Noun
All activities will be done standing up, and supplies and tools will be provided in addition to snacks, lunch and a bottle of water.
—Anne Gelhaus, The Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2024
So, the team worked with water treatment plants in Houston and El Paso, every week packing up (leak-proof) bottles of sewage and shipping them overnight to Baylor for testing.
—Simar Bajaj, STAT, 5 Apr. 2024
There is the flaming red wig worn by Lucille Ball in Du Barry Was a Lady, the gate from Jane Russell’s childhood home, Jean Harlow’s bottle of Mitsouko perfume, jewelry worn by Carole Lombard, and Mae West’s personal telephone.
—Hadley Meares, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2024
The menu will also boast entrees like lasagna bolognese, sides of fresh sourdough bread and affordable bottles of wine.
—Lily O'Neill, The Denver Post, 4 Apr. 2024
Campus administration contacted a Southlake police school resource officer assigned to Carroll Senior High School regarding several pill bottles found in a teacher’s backpack during a routine third-party K-9 sweep, according to the release.
—Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2024
The distillery is also selling a 100-proof Total Eclipse Moonshine for $29.99 for a 750 ml bottle.
—Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 3 Apr. 2024
For about a week, Blaire delivered her a daily dose of buprenorphine using a Safe RX bottle — essentially a trackable pill bottle with a lock code to limit who can open it.
—Lauren Peace, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024
Combine equal parts water and white vinegar in a spray bottle, and give the counters a good spritz, followed by another wipe-down with a wet cloth.
—Katherine Owen, Southern Living, 27 Mar. 2024
Verb
Producers use methods for sweet wines to ensure some of the grape sugar remains before bottling.
—Cynthia Sass, Mph, Health, 8 Apr. 2024
After fermentation the wine remains on the lees for two years prior to bottling and then is aged for an additional three years before release.
—Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 4 Apr. 2024
Documents said police detained Harris on Jan. 5 and brought her to the department headquarters, where Harris admitted to bottle feeding her infant daughter Nyquil and melatonin before propping her in an upward position on the mattress and then placing her 17-month-old daughter in a playpen.
—The Arizona Republic, 23 Feb. 2024
It was bottled at 106 proof and official tasting notes describe brown sugar, toffee, rye spice, rich oak, and tobacco notes on the palate.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 26 Mar. 2024
Buffalo Wild Wings, known for its many chicken wing sauce flavors, has also bottled and sold its sauces for years now, available for purchase at many major retailers.
—Angela L. Pagán / The Takeout, Quartz, 24 Mar. 2024
But the Warriors needed to bottle more of his energy, and more consistently to overcome a poor shooting night.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024
Zoo staff have been working around the clock to bottle feed and care for the infant gorilla.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Mar. 2024
The Kansas City residents who live near Parkville, had to bottle feed their goat every four hours, and all their possible goat-sitters were busy or going to the parade.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 22 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bottle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English botel, from Old French botele, from Medieval Latin butticula, diminutive of Late Latin buttis cask
First Known Use
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Time Traveler
The first known use of bottle was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing bottle
Dictionary Entries Near bottle
Cite this Entry
“Bottle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bottle. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
Medical Definition
bottle
noun
bot·tle
ˈbät-ᵊl
often attributive
1
: a rigid or semirigid container typically of glass or plastic having a comparatively narrow neck or mouth and usually no handle see wash bottle
2
: liquid food usually consisting of milk and supplements that is fed from a bottle (as to an infant) in place of mother's milk
More from Merriam-Webster on bottle
Nglish: Translation of bottle for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of bottle for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about bottle
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