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
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 Web
Ottessa Moshfegh, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
To disinfect the inside of the refrigerator without bleach or other chemicals, mix one part of white vinegar and two parts of hot water in a spray bottle.
—Taylor Tobin, Southern Living, 30 June 2025
Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
The Estate Whiskey Alliance, however, wants to elevate distilleries that choose a different path, by tracing a direct line from soil to bottle and offering people a deeper connection to the spirit at a time of economic uncertainty for the industry.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for bottle
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
The Chinese lady behind the bar served my father a bottle of Budweiser and a bowl of peanuts.
—Ottessa Moshfegh, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
To disinfect the inside of the refrigerator without bleach or other chemicals, mix one part of white vinegar and two parts of hot water in a spray bottle.
—Taylor Tobin, Southern Living, 30 June 2025
Verb
The Napa Valley rosé is bottled at the Kunde Family Winery in California.
—Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
The Estate Whiskey Alliance, however, wants to elevate distilleries that choose a different path, by tracing a direct line from soil to bottle and offering people a deeper connection to the spirit at a time of economic uncertainty for the industry.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for bottle
Cite this Entry
“Bottle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bottle. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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