pot

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A deep round container, usually made of metal, clay, or plastic, used for cooking, storing things, or growing plants.

   Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a pot', 'two pots', 'the pot'.

   Patterns

   • a pot of something
   • cook something in a pot
   • plant something in a pot

   She boiled the pasta in a large pot.

   He keeps his coffee beans in a glass pot.

   The herbs are growing in a small pot on the windowsill.

2. 2nouncountable

   A container made of clay or other material in which a plant is grown.

   Grammar: Often used with 'flower' or 'plant': 'a flower pot'.

   Patterns

   • flower pot
   • pot plant
   • repot a plant

   She bought a new flower pot for the roses.

   The pot was too small for the growing roots, so she repotted the plant.

3. 3noununcountableinformal

   An informal word for marijuana.

   Grammar: Uncountable in this sense: you cannot say 'a pot' to mean marijuana.

   Patterns

   • smoke pot
   • grow pot

   He was arrested for possessing pot.

   The smell of pot drifted from the apartment next door.

4. 4nounsingular

   A sum of money collected from many people, especially as a prize in a game or for a common purpose.

   Grammar: Usually singular with 'the': 'win the pot', 'the pot grew'.

   Patterns

   • win the pot
   • the pot grew
   • put money in the pot

   The winner took the whole pot.

   Everyone put ten dollars into the pot for the office party.

5. 5nouncountableinformal

   A potbelly; a large, round stomach.

   Grammar: Usually singular and informal: 'a pot'.

   Patterns

   • a pot belly
   • develop a pot

   He's developing a bit of a pot in middle age.

   The character was drawn with a big pot and a bald head.

Word forms

Common combinations

cooking pot

She scrubbed the cooking pot after dinner.

flower pot

The flower pot fell off the windowsill and broke.

pot of coffee

He made a fresh pot of coffee for the guests.

pot luck

We're having a pot luck dinner; everyone brings a dish.

go to pot

The garden has gone to pot since they stopped caring for it.

Synonyms and how they differ

pan

A pan is usually shallower and has a handle; a pot is deeper and often used for boiling or storing.

container

A general word for anything that holds things; 'pot' is a specific type, usually round and deep.

marijuana

The formal or medical term; 'pot' is informal and should be avoided in formal contexts.

Word family

potful noun

The amount that a pot can hold: 'a potful of soup'.

potted adjective

Grown in a pot, as in 'potted plant'; also used for food preserved in a pot.

potter noun

A person who makes pottery.

pottery noun

Objects made from clay and baked, or the activity of making them.

Commonly confused: pot or pan? pot or pot?

Practice

Make it your own

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

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