bottle

1 of 2

verb

bottled; bottling 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

ˈbä-tᵊl-ər 

ˈbät-lər

noun

bottler

2 of 2

noun

bot·​tler ˈbä-tᵊl-ər 

ˈbät-lər

plural -s

: one that bottles: such as

a

: a worker or machine that puts up goods in bottles

b

: a concern that makes and bottles beverages, especially carbonated beverages

Examples of bottle in a Sentence

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

Verb

The King family had founded the small bottling company in 1954, but their roots in soda bottling went back to 1904. —Julia Coin may 29, Charlotte Observer, 29 May 2026

Or and Elliott Smith but seemingly bottle its air. —Jayson Greene, Pitchfork, 29 May 2026

Along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, the draw for sober-curious visitors is the grain mills, fermentation tanks, barrel rickhouses and bottling lines — compelling whether or not a glass ever leaves the counter. —Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 28 May 2026

Along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, the grain mills, fermentation tanks, barrel rickhouses and bottling lines are genuinely compelling without ever touching a glass. —Lauren Schuster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing bottle

• baby bottle
• bottle bank
• bottle/bleached/peroxide blonde
• bottle blond
• bottle club
• bottle episode
• bottle-feed
• bottle gourd
• bottle green
• bottle-nosed dolphin
• bottle opener
• bottle out
• bottle rocket
• bottle up
• bring a bottle
• bring your own bottle
• catch/capture lightning in a bottle
• hit the bottle
• hot-water bottle
• Klein bottle
• pilgrim bottle
• spin the bottle
• squeeze bottle
• the bottle
• took to the bottle
• vacuum bottle
• water bottle

Rhymes for bottle

• chrysotile
• nahuatl
• cottle
• glottal
• mottle
• pottle
• scrotal
• throttle
• wattle

Kids Definition

bottle

1 of 2 noun

bot·​tle ˈbät-ᵊl 

1

a

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

b

: a bag made of skin used to hold a liquid

2

: the quantity held by a bottle

3

: a bottle with a rubber or plastic nipple for feeding an infant

bottleful

-ˌfu̇l 

noun

bottle

2 of 2 verb

bottled; bottling ˈbät-liŋ 

-ᵊl-iŋ

1

: to put into a bottle

2

: to shut up as if in a bottle : restrain

bottled up their anger

bottler

-lər 

-ᵊl-ər

noun

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