pottery

noun

pot·​tery ˈpä-tə-rē 

plural potteries

1

: a place where clayware is made and fired

2

a

: the art or craft of the potter

b

: the manufacture of clayware

3

: clayware

especially : earthenware as distinguished from porcelain and stoneware and from brick and tile

Synonyms

• crockery
• earthenware
• stoneware

Examples of pottery in a Sentence

He has collected pottery for years.

She was a painter for years before she discovered pottery.

Recent Examples on the Web

In museums, art by Indigenous people has been seen as artifact, not intervention or complex storytelling — reduced to dream catchers, headdresses and pottery, repackaged for nostalgia and sale. —Petala Ironcloud, New York Times, 1 May 2025

Archaeologists in Mexico have discovered ancient Mayan pottery in a cave system a little more than 10 miles away from downtown Playa de Carmen. —Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2025

Colorful textured rugs in purple, blue, orange, pink and red blend with handmade pottery, art and chic glass-top coffee tables. —Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2025

Shop for olive wood home goods, pottery, Greek spices and kitchen essentials, or religious symbols (Athens seems to have them all). —Rebecca Deurlein, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for pottery

• cautery
• lottery
• watery

Kids Definition

pottery

noun

pot·​tery ˈpät-ə-rē 

plural potteries

1

: a place where clay articles (as pots and vases) are made

2

: the art of the potter : ceramics

3

: articles made from clay that is shaped while moist and hardened by heat