bottle

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

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

—

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

The real value lies with wine by the bottle, Reidy says, which can be sealed and taken home if it's not finished.

— dana mcmahan, The Courier-Journal, "Set the whiskey down. Irish Rover wants you to drink wine with dinner," 29 Aug. 2017
Detectives later linked Scott to the scene from DNA from a iced tea bottle and a cigarette butt.

— glenn e. rice, ian cummings and joe robertson, kansascity, "Man charged in two KC killings and remains suspect in three trail deaths, prosecutor says," 29 Aug. 2017
And frequent trills of a bell indicate that someone has opened a bottle of champagne with a saber — an activity recently enjoyed by Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary.

— katie rogers, New York Times, "Trump Hotel at Night: Lobbyists, Cabinet Members, $60 Steaks," 26 Aug. 2017
While the airport has carried UAB merchandise in the past, the selection now is much larger and includes such items as t-shirts, mugs, caps, water bottles and much more.

— cheryl wray, AL.com, "UAB football merchandise added prominently to Birmingham airport," 24 Aug. 2017
PHOENIX — A day of noisy but largely peaceful protests of President Donald Trump’s speech in Phoenix turned unruly as police fired pepper spray at crowds after someone apparently lobbed rocks and bottles at officers.

— Washington Post, "Protests turn unruly after Trump’s Phoenix speech," 23 Aug. 2017
Finishing among the grapevines, Harford runners collected several bottles of wine as age-group awards.

— bill blewett, The Aegis, "Record field ran for wins, wine at Boordy Vineyards," 17 Aug. 2017
A craft brew ticket, which includes five drink tokens, a bottle of High River hot sauce, and an expo T-shirt, is $40.

— lisa beebe, Los Angeles Magazine, "The Hot Sauce Expo Is This Weekend, and We Need All the Endorphins We Can Get Right Now," 16 Aug. 2017
Others threw trash and bottles into the opposing ranks of protesters as the crowds swelled.

— gabe cavallaro, Cincinnati.com, "Car that hit Charlottesville crowd purchased in Florence, registered in Ohio, online records show," 12 Aug. 2017

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

bottle Synonyms

Synonyms

aqua vitae, ardent spirits, booze, alcohol, drink, firewater, grog, hooch [slang], inebriant, intoxicant, John Barleycorn, juice [slang], liquor, lush [slang], moonshine, potable, rum, sauce [slang], spirits, stimulant, strong drink, tipple

Antonyms

nonintoxicant

Related Words

aperitif, bracer, chaser, digestif, nightcap; belt, load, nip, peg [British], pop, shooter, shot, slug, snifter, snort, tot, whet; cocktail, mixed drink; ale, beer, brew, brewage, brewski [slang], home brew, malt liquor, microbrew, mum, nappy [chiefly Scottish]; mead, sake (or saki), wine; barley-bree (also barley-broo) [chiefly Scottish], brandy, gin, liqueur, mao-tai, mescal, schnapps, tequila, vodka, whiskey (or whisky); Dutch courage

Near Antonyms

cold feet, faintheartedness, fearfulness, mousiness, timidity, timorousness; feebleness, softness, weakness; impotence, ineffectualness; hesitation, indecision, indecisiveness, irresolution

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

—

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

Faltz plans to bottle and sell his own Fox Valley line of cider from a portion of the coming fall's Wisconsin apples harvest.

— suzanne baker, chicagotribune.com, "Wine production is a family affair at Fox Valley Winery in Oswego," 11 Aug. 2017
Wölffer Estate Vineyard just released their second batch of Wölffer Pink Gin, produced and bottled at their winery in New York's Hamptons.

— lyndsey matthews, Marie Claire, "Your G&Ts Are About to Get the Rosé Treatment," 1 Aug. 2017
Before bottling, clean and sanitize the bottles and caps and create a priming solution of 1 cup boiling water and the priming sugar. 16.

— lorraine boissoneault, Smithsonian, "Ancient Humans Liked Getting Tipsy, Too," 10 July 2017
What these passages exemplify is the richness of language and the difficulty of bottling it up in a concise form of words.

— sam bray, Washington Post, "Translating Genesis: double translation," 25 June 2017
Later, Levine began bottling the secret marinade and selling it over the counter at the restaurant.

— AL.com, "Alabama's iconic Dale's steak sauce: A well-seasoned history," 22 June 2017
The family got out of the production business in the early 2000s, closing its Irondale plant and contracting with a co-packer in the Brundidge, Ala., to bottle and distribute the sauce.

— AL.com, "Alabama's iconic Dale's steak sauce: A well-seasoned history," 22 June 2017
The Garreltses also have two cookbooks and are now bottling their Kansas City-style barbecue and smoked Fresno chili hot sauces.

— joyce smith, kansascity, "Country Club Plaza to get second Rye restaurant, celebrating Midwestern cuisine," 19 June 2017
Almost 40 percent received negative feedback about their choice to breast- or bottle-feed.

— lisa ryan, The Cut, "Almost Two-Thirds of Moms Have Felt ‘Shamed’ Over Their Parenting Choices," 19 June 2017

First Known Use of bottle

1594

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

BOTTLE Defined for Kids

bottle

noun bot·tle \ ˈbä-tᵊl \

Definition of bottle for Students

1 :a container (as of glass or plastic) usually having a narrow neck and mouth and no handle

2 :the quantity held by a bottle I drank the whole bottle.

bottle

verb

Definition of bottle for Students

bottled; bottling

1 :to put into a bottle

2 :to shut up as if in a bottle

She bottles up her feelings.

Medical Dictionary

bottle

noun, often attributive bot·tle \ ˈbät-ᵊl \

medical Definition of bottle

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

Learn More about bottle

See words that rhyme with bottle Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for bottle Spanish Central: Translation of 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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bottle

Definition of bottle

bottleful

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Examples of bottle in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of bottle

bottle Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Other Alcoholic Beverage Terms

bottle

Definition of bottle

bottler

Examples of bottle in a Sentence

Recent Examples of bottle from the Web

First Known Use of bottle

BOTTLE Defined for English Language Learners

bottle

Definition of bottle for English Language Learners

bottle

Definition of bottle for English Language Learners

BOTTLE Defined for Kids

bottle

Definition of bottle for Students

bottle

Definition of bottle for Students

Medical Dictionary

bottle

medical Definition of bottle

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