# pot

/ˈpɑt/ (US) · /pˈɒt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/pot
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. cooking container

noun · CEFR A2

a deep, round container used for cooking food like soup or pasta.

For teachers: a deep, typically cylindrical vessel used for boiling or stewing food.

- She put a large pot of water on the stove to boil for the pasta.
- The chef simmered the stock in a heavy copper pot for several hours to develop a rich, complex flavour profile.

### 2. plant container

noun · CEFR A2

a container, often made of clay or plastic, used for growing plants.

For teachers: a container used for cultivating plants, typically made of earthenware or plastic.

- I need to move this flower to a bigger pot because it is growing fast.
- Terracotta pots are preferred by many gardeners because their porous nature allows the soil to breathe more effectively than plastic alternatives.

### 3. gambling stakes

noun · CEFR B1

the total amount of money that players bet in a game like poker.

For teachers: the total pool of money or chips accumulated from bets that the winner of a hand or round receives.

- He won the entire pot with a lucky pair of aces on the final card.
- As the betting intensified, the pot grew to a size that made even the most experienced players visibly nervous.

### 4. marijuana

noun · CEFR B2 · Slang · Informal

a common informal name for the drug marijuana.

For teachers: a slang term for cannabis or marijuana.

- The smell of pot was coming from the apartment next door.
- The legalisation of pot in several jurisdictions has led to a significant shift in public health policy and tax revenue collection.

### 6. to plant in a container

verb · CEFR B1

to put a plant into a pot with soil.

For teachers: to plant or transplant a seedling or plant into a container.

- You should pot the herbs in the spring so they have room to grow.
- After the seedlings developed their second set of leaves, the gardener carefully potted them into individual containers.

### 7. to hit a ball into a hole

verb · CEFR B2 · British English

to hit a ball into a pocket in games like snooker or pool.

For teachers: to strike a ball so that it falls into one of the pockets of a billiard or snooker table.

- He managed to pot the black ball and win the match.
- The player demonstrated remarkable precision by potting the final red from a nearly impossible angle across the table.

## Examples

- She put the pot on the stove.
- He filled the pot with water to boil potatoes for dinner.
- A large cast-iron pot simmered on the back burner, filling the kitchen with the rich aroma of slow-cooked stew.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.