plural kettles
1
: a metallic vessel usually used for boiling liquids
especially
: teakettle
2
3
a
b
: a steep-sided hollow without surface drainage especially in a deposit of glacial drift
4
: a usually large group of raptors (such as hawks or vultures) circling high in the sky on an updraft of warm air
… more than 500 birds have been seen riding the same spiraling thermal air current, or "kettle," as they are known to hawk-watchers.—
Rick Steelhammer
Rick Steelhammer
kettled; kettling
ˈket-liŋ 
ˈke-tᵊl-iŋ
; kettles
: to corral or contain (people) in large numbers by surrounding and forcing into an enclosed area
Police officers stood in a line in front of them but protesters seemed to think they'd be allowed through. They were not. Instead, they were kettled with orange nets, and arrested.—Jen Doll
Jen Doll
kettling
noun
In London, over 30 students were arrested as part of an occupation at Senate House, which included police brutality and kettling.
—Lucy Uprichard
Lucy Uprichard
Examples of kettle in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebMichelle Rostamian, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
In the 12th minute, the crowd was steaming with enough anticipation to boil a tea kettle after Alex Loerra skimmed a shot just over the crossbar.
—Jason Mastrodonato, The Mercury News, 31 Mar. 2024
And there's no need to get a thermometer; just let your water kettle ($16, Amazon) rest off the boil for 30 to 45 seconds.
—Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Jan. 2024
There’s plenty of room in a kitchen for an Xbox microwave, kettle, or washing machine.
—Tom Warren, The Verge, 4 Jan. 2024
Le Creuset Demi Kettle Brewing your morning tea with this colorful kettle will make your day feel so much brighter.
—Lauren Taylor, Southern Living, 8 Feb. 2024
And last year, NBC affiliate KFYR reported that a late nurse's wedding ring was donated in a Salvation Army kettle in North Dakota.
—David Chiu, Peoplemag, 18 Dec. 2023
Pick up a sharp new knife set from Cangshan that includes all the essentials like steak knives and a bread knife, then look to this Fellow gooseneck kettle that’s perfect for any pour-over coffee lover.
—Amy Schulman, Peoplemag, 29 Jan. 2024
Roy filled the kettle for tea and Mandy guided the girl to one of the chrome barstools at the kitchen island.
—Fiona McFarlane, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024
USA TODAY, 20 July 2023
During some of the 2020 protest marches, officers deployed a crowd control tactic known as kettling against peaceful protesters, corralling them in tight spaces and attacking them with batons and pepper spray before making mass arrests.
—Jake Offenhartz, Fortune, 20 July 2023
Among the demonstrators kettled in Mott Haven was Henry Wood, one of five plaintiffs named in the suit.
—Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2023
These protesters were kettled.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 1 Mar. 2023
That was in place the day of the June 4 protest in the Bronx, and in their lawsuits, the protesters claimed they were kettled by the cops well before the 8 p.m. curfew, preventing them from dispersing.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2023
According to the lawsuit, more than 300 protesters were kettled and assaulted by the New York City Police Department in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx on June 4, 2020.
—Talal Ansari, WSJ, 1 Mar. 2023
Agency spokespeople did not respond to questions Saturday morning about why the agency chose to kettle demonstrators.
—oregonlive, 13 Mar. 2021
No arrests were made and the police somehow managed not to kettle the group.
—Nick Martin, The New Republic, 5 Nov. 2020
Noun
Fellow Stagg Electric Gooseneck Kettle $165 Buy on Nordstrom $195 Buy on Williams-Sonoma $165
Who has time to babysit a stovetop kettle?
—Michelle Rostamian, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
In the 12th minute, the crowd was steaming with enough anticipation to boil a tea kettle after Alex Loerra skimmed a shot just over the crossbar.
—Jason Mastrodonato, The Mercury News, 31 Mar. 2024
And there's no need to get a thermometer; just let your water kettle ($16, Amazon) rest off the boil for 30 to 45 seconds.
—Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Jan. 2024
There’s plenty of room in a kitchen for an Xbox microwave, kettle, or washing machine.
—Tom Warren, The Verge, 4 Jan. 2024
Le Creuset Demi Kettle Brewing your morning tea with this colorful kettle will make your day feel so much brighter.
—Lauren Taylor, Southern Living, 8 Feb. 2024
And last year, NBC affiliate KFYR reported that a late nurse's wedding ring was donated in a Salvation Army kettle in North Dakota.
—David Chiu, Peoplemag, 18 Dec. 2023
Pick up a sharp new knife set from Cangshan that includes all the essentials like steak knives and a bread knife, then look to this Fellow gooseneck kettle that’s perfect for any pour-over coffee lover.
—Amy Schulman, Peoplemag, 29 Jan. 2024
Roy filled the kettle for tea and Mandy guided the girl to one of the chrome barstools at the kitchen island.
—Fiona McFarlane, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024
Verb
Settlement is one of many The settlement comes months after the city agreed to pay several hundred other people $21,500 apiece to settle a class-action lawsuit related to a similar incident involving kettling in the Bronx.
—USA TODAY, 20 July 2023
During some of the 2020 protest marches, officers deployed a crowd control tactic known as kettling against peaceful protesters, corralling them in tight spaces and attacking them with batons and pepper spray before making mass arrests.
—Jake Offenhartz, Fortune, 20 July 2023
Among the demonstrators kettled in Mott Haven was Henry Wood, one of five plaintiffs named in the suit.
—Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2023
These protesters were kettled.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 1 Mar. 2023
That was in place the day of the June 4 protest in the Bronx, and in their lawsuits, the protesters claimed they were kettled by the cops well before the 8 p.m. curfew, preventing them from dispersing.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2023
According to the lawsuit, more than 300 protesters were kettled and assaulted by the New York City Police Department in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx on June 4, 2020.
—Talal Ansari, WSJ, 1 Mar. 2023
Agency spokespeople did not respond to questions Saturday morning about why the agency chose to kettle demonstrators.
—oregonlive, 13 Mar. 2021
No arrests were made and the police somehow managed not to kettle the group.
—Nick Martin, The New Republic, 5 Nov. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'kettle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Kettle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kettle. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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