bottle

noun, often attributive bot·tle \ ˈbä-tᵊl \

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Definition of bottle

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

b : liquid food (such as milk) used in place of mother's milk

4 slang, British : mettle, courage

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bottleful

play \-ˌfu̇l\ noun

See bottle defined for English-language learners

See bottle defined for kids

Examples of bottle in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of bottle from the Web

After the games, Burke walked around with a bottle of vodka and made underage fraternity pledges, including Piazza, drink from it, prosecutors said.

— darran simon, CNN, "Guilty plea entered in the hazing death of Penn State University fraternity pledge," 13 June 2018
Theft An employee of a business in the 2700 block of Pfingsten Road told police May 29 that someone filled a basket with 12 bottles of alcohol and left the store.

— alexandra kukulka, chicagotribune.com, "Police: Man seen exposing himself in Glenview park," 12 June 2018
The suspect then punched the victim, armed himself with a broken glass bottle and unsuccessfully tried to strike the victim before fleeing.

— bryan alexander, USA TODAY, "Police accuse Redmond O'Neal of violent crime spree, knife attacks," 9 June 2018
Another member started hitting Gonzalez on the head with a beer bottle.

— bradford betz, Fox News, "Aryan Brotherhood leader gets life in power-drill murder over $600 dispute," 9 June 2018
The place was packed with more than 100 Chinese tourists washing down $38 plates of fish with $70 bottles of North Korean liquor.

— anna fifield, Washington Post, "North Korea’s friends in southeast Asia are ready to return to business as usual," 4 June 2018
The tradition for the winner of the Indy 500 is celebrating with a bottle of milk, and the drivers are polled to select a preference: whole, 2 percent or skim.

— michelle r. martinelli, For The Win, "Indy 500 winner Will Power says he actually has strong willpower," 28 May 2018
Fill the reservoir with a bottle of Keurig's descaling solution plus water, or 10 ounces of white vinegar.

— taysha murtaugh, Country Living, "How to Clean a Keurig Coffee Machine," 25 May 2018
In real life, a Gidley is an unmarried 41-year-old from South Carolina whose West Wing office is stocked with bottles of Muscle Milk.

— mark leibovich, New York Times, "The Risky Business of Speaking for President Trump," 23 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bottle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of bottle

Middle English botel, from Old French botele, from Medieval Latin butticula, diminutive of Late Latin buttis cask

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First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

Other Alcoholic Beverage Terms

finish, gimlet, mull, sake, setup, sommelier, syllabub, vintner, wassail

bottle

verb

Definition of bottle

bottled; bottling play \ˈbä-tᵊl-iŋ, ˈbät-liŋ\

transitive verb

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

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bottler

play \ˈbä-tᵊl-ər, ˈbät-lər\ noun

See bottle defined for English-language learners

Examples of bottle in a Sentence

The restaurant bottles its own ginger ale.
Near the top of the mountain, the climbers relied on bottled oxygen to breathe.

Recent Examples of bottle from the Web

The family uses bottled water to drink, cook and brush their teeth.

— dale kasler, phillip reese and ryan sabalow, sacbee, "360,000 Californians have unsafe drinking water. Are you one of them?," 1 June 2018
Nestlé has been shaking up a product mix that stretches from DiGiorno frozen pizza and Perrier bottled water to Maggi noodles and medicinal foods.

— brian blackstone and julie jargon, WSJ, "Starbucks Sells Nestlé the Rights to Offer Its Coffee in Stores," 7 May 2018
This was a world still filled with the mysteries, secrets, and crank theories of my childhood, where the Klan manufactured tennis shoes and bottled iced tea, and shipped it all into the ghetto.

— ta-nehisi coates, The Atlantic, "I’m Not Black, I’m Kanye," 7 May 2018
Classic Mexican Coca Cola and sodas, like the glass bottled Jarritos and the apple flavored (and hard to find) manzana soda, are refreshing and authentic touches.

— courtney dabney, star-telegram, "Pescatarian paradise: It's all about the seafood at this Veracruz-inspired restaurant | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 22 May 2018
Today, however, 40-foot trucks use it to take whisky away to be bottled.

— liza weisstuch, New York Times, "The Whisky Chronicles," 23 Apr. 2018
The whisky inside these editions was distilled in 1926 and bottled in '86.

— sarah rense, Esquire, "The 'Holy Grail' of Ultra-Rare Macallan Whisky Is About to Go Up for Auction," 19 Mar. 2018
Bojan Bogdanovic's 29 points and key plays late in regulation, on a night when Victor Oladipo was bottled up with Milwaukee defenders, were the difference in Indiana's 92-89 win over the Bucks, Indianapolis, Mon.,Mar. 5, 2018.

— clifton brown, Indianapolis Star, "Bogey saves the day for the Pacers," 5 Mar. 2018
The First Academy senior Elwood Tomlinson left his mark on both ends of the floor as the Royals bottled up area scoring leader Julian Newman and posted an 84-76 boys basketball win over visiting Downey Christian on Tuesday night.

— buddy collings, OrlandoSentinel.com, "TFA clamps down on Julian Newman and handles Downey Christian | Basketball," 6 Feb. 2018

First Known Use of bottle

1594

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

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BOTTLE Defined for English Language Learners

bottle

noun

Definition of bottle for English Language Learners

: a glass or plastic container that has a narrow neck and usually has no handle
: the amount contained in a bottle
the bottle : alcoholic drink

bottle

verb

Definition of bottle for English Language Learners

: to put (something) into a bottle so that it can be sold or so that it is easier to use
: to put (fruit or vegetables) in a jar using a special procedure that preserves them