bottles

Meanings

1. 1nounplural

   More than one container, usually made of glass or plastic, used for holding liquids.

   Grammar: Plural countable noun: one bottle, two bottles. Use 'bottles of' before a liquid.

   Patterns

   • bottles of something
   • empty bottles
   • recycle bottles

   We collected all the empty bottles after the party and took them to the recycling bin.

   She keeps two bottles of water in her bag when she goes running.

   The shelf was lined with bottles of olive oil and vinegar.

2. 2nounplural

   Containers for feeding a baby milk or formula.

   Grammar: Plural countable noun; often used with 'sterilize', 'wash', or 'prepare'.

   Patterns

   • wash the bottles
   • prepare bottles
   • feed a baby bottles

   He washed the baby's bottles in hot soapy water every evening.

   New parents often sterilize bottles before each feed.

3. 3verbtransitive

   Puts drinks or other liquids into containers (third-person singular of 'bottle').

   Grammar: Takes an object: she bottles the wine. Third-person singular form of 'bottle'.

   Patterns

   • bottles something
   • bottles wine
   • bottles water

   The small winery bottles its red wine by hand each autumn.

   This company bottles mineral water from a spring in the mountains.

4. 4verbintransitiveinformalBritish

   Loses courage at the last moment and fails to do something (British, informal; third-person singular).

   Grammar: No object; often followed by 'out' or 'it': he bottled out, she bottled it.

   Patterns

   • bottles out
   • bottles it

   He was going to ask for a pay rise but he bottles it every time.

   She bottles out of the race whenever she feels nervous.

Common combinations

empty bottles

Please put the empty bottles in the blue bin.

bottles of water

They sold bottles of water at the entrance.

plastic bottles

Plastic bottles can take hundreds of years to break down.

recycle bottles

Our school recycles bottles and cans every Friday.

Synonyms and how they differ

containers

Containers is a general word for anything that holds something; bottles are specifically for liquids and have a narrow neck.

flasks

Flasks are usually flat and designed to fit in a pocket, while bottles can be any size or shape.

Word family

bottle noun

A single container for liquids.

bottle verb

To put liquid into bottles.

bottled adjective

Sold in a bottle, as in bottled water.

bottling noun

The process of putting drinks into bottles.

Commonly confused: bottles or bottoms?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “bottles”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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