Meaning & use
caldron
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A large, deep metal pot for boiling food or liquid over an open fire, an alternative spelling of cauldron.
Grammar: Plural: caldrons. Cauldron is the more usual spelling.
Patterns
- a caldron of something
- stir a caldron
The witch in the story stirred a bubbling caldron.
An iron caldron hung above the campfire.
Villagers once cooked soup for everyone in one huge caldron.
nounsingularfigurativeliterary
A situation or place full of strong, stirred-up feelings or activity, often unstable or dangerous.
Grammar: Used figuratively, usually as a caldron of something.
Patterns
- a caldron of something
The city had become a caldron of unrest.
The meeting turned into a caldron of angry voices.
Their house was a caldron of noise and activity every morning.
Word forms
| plural | caldrons |
|---|
Common combinations
- bubbling caldron
- A bubbling caldron stood in the middle of the stage.
- iron caldron
- He bought an iron caldron for the garden fire pit.
- stir the caldron
- The speech only served to stir the caldron of resentment.
- a caldron of emotion
- The courtroom was a caldron of emotion.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- cauldron noun
- the more common spelling of the same word
- caldrons noun
- plural form
Commonly confused: caldron or cauldron? caldron or coldron?
caldron vs cauldron
This is the same word with the more common spelling, not a different one; either spelling is understood.
caldron vs coldron
This is a misspelling, not a word; the spelling caldron has an an after the c.
Practice
Which phrase best describes a caldron?
Choose one answer.
A caldron is a big metal pot used for boiling things. The other options name unrelated objects.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “caldron”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.