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
: alcoholic beverages : the practice of drinking alcoholic beverages
… 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
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 May 2026
The 37-story building was designed during Prohibition by the Burnham Brothers to look like a green champagne bottle, and the gold-leaf accents on the upper floors really drive the resemblance home.
—Jess Fleming, Twin Cities, 7 May 2026
Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 8 May 2026
Particularly since the savings made in service-staff costs and brick-and-mortar bar space, not to mention the affordability of buying booze here in China's RMB currency, aren't that far off grabbing a can or bottle from a nearby 24-hour convenience store.
—New Atlas, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for bottle
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Noun
After a refreshing, standing, glass shower, guests have the option to purchase a bottle of wine or cocktail from the backyard bar as a to-go treat.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 May 2026
The 37-story building was designed during Prohibition by the Burnham Brothers to look like a green champagne bottle, and the gold-leaf accents on the upper floors really drive the resemblance home.
—Jess Fleming, Twin Cities, 7 May 2026
Verb
The Jura’s most famous and valuable wine is its Vin Jaune—French for yellow or golden wine—which is made from Savagnin and is matured in oak barrels for a minimum of 75 months during which the barrels are untouched until bottling.
—Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 8 May 2026
Particularly since the savings made in service-staff costs and brick-and-mortar bar space, not to mention the affordability of buying booze here in China's RMB currency, aren't that far off grabbing a can or bottle from a nearby 24-hour convenience store.
—New Atlas, 8 May 2026
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 May. 2026.
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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