pottery

noun

pot·​tery ˈpä-tə-rē 

plural potteries

1

: a place where clayware is made and fired

2

a

: the art or craft of the potter

b

: the manufacture of clayware

3

: clayware

especially : earthenware as distinguished from porcelain and stoneware and from brick and tile

Synonyms

• ceramics

Examples of pottery in a Sentence

He has collected pottery for years.

She was a painter for years before she discovered pottery.

Recent Examples on the Web

Pair bright orange squash with earthy pottery for an outdoor autumn decoration that will impress any guest. —Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Oct. 2025

Known as the Log Cabin Craft Village, the structures each host one or two small shops selling watercolors, pottery, handmade soaps, bohemian-style apparel, and more. —Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 4 Oct. 2025

Its image is painted on ancient Southwestern pottery and chiseled into prehistoric petroglyphs that line Texas canyons. —Hollace Ava Weiner, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Oct. 2025

In the west of Britain, fragments of red slip ware (distinctive Byzantium amphora vessels or pottery) have been found at sites associated with elites, like Tintagel in northern Cornwall. —Duncan Sayer, JSTOR Daily, 2 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for pottery

• cautery
• lottery
• watery

Kids Definition

pottery

noun

pot·​tery ˈpät-ə-rē 

plural potteries

1

: a place where clay articles (as pots and vases) are made

2

: the art of the potter : ceramics

3

: articles made from clay that is shaped while moist and hardened by heat