kettle

1 of 2

noun

ket·​tle ˈke-tᵊl 

plural kettles

1

: a metallic vessel usually used for boiling liquids

especially : teakettle

2

: kettledrum

3

a

: pothole sense 1b

b

: a steep-sided hollow without surface drainage especially in a deposit of glacial drift

4

: a usually large group of raptors (such as hawks or vultures) circling high in the sky on an updraft of warm air

… more than 500 birds have been seen riding the same spiraling thermal air current, or "kettle," as they are known to hawk-watchers.

—Rick Steelhammer

kettle

2 of 2

verb

kettled; kettling ˈket-liŋ 

ˈke-tᵊl-iŋ

; kettles

transitive verb

: to corral or contain (people) in large numbers by surrounding and forcing into an enclosed area

Police officers stood in a line in front of them but protesters seemed to think they'd be allowed through. They were not. Instead, they were kettled with orange nets, and arrested.

—Jen Doll

kettling noun

In London, over 30 students were arrested as part of an occupation at Senate House, which included police brutality and kettling.

—Lucy Uprichard

Examples of kettle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Keeping kettles and coffee makers clean ensures a consistently tasty cup every time and helps prevent the formation of oily sludge and mineral deposits. —Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 July 2025

Use a tea kettle for easy heating, carrying, and pouring. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 2 July 2025

Verb

But with that brief wave of hope came new footage on Twitter every night of the NYPD acting like bad cops out of a Harvey Keitel flick: cops harassing peaceful crowds, cops kettling activists, cops literally driving a car into a crowd of protestors. —Maris Kreizman, Rolling Stone, 24 June 2025

The lawsuit claims cops began kettling the protesters and doused them with pepper spray. —Graham Rayman, New York Daily News, 10 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English ketel, from Old Norse ketill (akin to Old English cietel kettle), both from a prehistoric Germanic word borrowed from Latin catillus, diminutive of catinus bowl

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

2009, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing kettle

• kettle chip
• kettle of fish

Rhymes for kettle

• betel
• cetyl
• metal
• mettle
• nettle
• petal
• setal
• settle
• diacetyl
• gunmetal
• nonmetal
• resettle

Kids Definition

kettle

1 of 2 noun

ket·​tle ˈket-ᵊl 

1

: a pot for boiling liquids

2

: teakettle

kettle

2 of 2 verb

: to corral or contain (people) in large numbers by surrounding and forcing into an enclosed area