1
a
: a usually rounded metal or earthen container used chiefly for domestic purposes (as in cooking or for holding liquids or growing plants)
also
: any of various technical or industrial vessels or enclosures resembling or likened to a household pot
the pot of a still
b
: potful
a pot of coffee
2
: an enclosed framework of wire, wood, or wicker for catching fish or lobsters
3
a
: a large amount (as of money)
b(1)
: the total of the bets at stake at one time
(2)
: one round in a poker game
c
: the common fund of a group
4
: potshot
5
: potbelly
6
: ruin
gone to pot
7
British
: a shot in snooker in which a ball is pocketed
8
see also:
potted; potting
1
a
: to place in a pot
pot a plant
b
: to pack or preserve (something, such as cooked and chopped meat) in a sealed pot, jar, or can often with aspic
2
: to shoot with a potshot
3
: to make or shape (earthenware) as a potter
4
: to embed (something, such as electronic components) in a container with an insulating or protective material (such as plastic)
: to take a potshot
1
potential
2
potentiometer
Examples of pot in a Sentence
Noun (1)
everyone got a bit nervous when the pot grew to more than a hundred dollars
made a pot of money in the real estate market
vowed that he would never get a pot, that telltale sign of middle age
Verb
She spent the afternoon potting tulip bulbs.
Recent Examples on the Web
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 June 2026
Special consideration will be given to entries that include multiple sponsor products, one-pot meals, meals using fresh, ready-to eat ingredients, recipes prepared with no more than seven ingredients and recipes making two servings.
—Kelly Brant, Arkansas Online, 2 June 2026
Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 3 June 2026
He was intercepted by Hare, and the senior captain potted a pole goal seconds later as Scituate took a 5-3 lead into the fourth.
—Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for pot
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Noun
For those staying at Elang Private Residence, meals can be directed by the guests or left to the chef, serving up, say, lamb satay on sugarcane skewers, seafood with mango sambal, slices of rare beef with tiny pots of rendang sauce.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 June 2026
Special consideration will be given to entries that include multiple sponsor products, one-pot meals, meals using fresh, ready-to eat ingredients, recipes prepared with no more than seven ingredients and recipes making two servings.
—Kelly Brant, Arkansas Online, 2 June 2026
Verb
Jordan Staal, who watched his brother and 2006 Stanley Cup champion with the Hurricanes, Eric Staal, get the crowd going with the siren at puck drop, potted his third goal of these playoffs.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 3 June 2026
He was intercepted by Hare, and the senior captain potted a pole goal seconds later as Scituate took a 5-3 lead into the fourth.
—Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for pot
Cite this Entry
“Pot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pot. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pot
1 of 3 noun1
a
: a deep rounded container for household purposes
cooking pot
b
: the quantity held by a pot
a pot of tea
2
: an enclosed trap for catching fish or lobsters
3
a
: a large quantity or sum
b
: the total of the bets at stake at one time
4
: ruin entry 1 sense 1
business went to pot
pot
2 of 3 verb
potted; potting
1
: to preserve in a sealed pot, jar, or can
2
: to plant or grow in a pot
pot
3 of 3 nounEtymology
Noun
perhaps from Mexican Spanish potiguaya "marijuana"
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