pot
pot — verb
- potpresent simple I / you / we / they
- pots3rd person singular
- potting-ing form
- pottedpast simple
1. to hunt birds or other small animals with a gun, or to fire a quick shot at a ta
to hunt birds or other small animals with a gun, or to fire a quick shot at a target without much aiming.
At dawn, the brothers potted rabbits near the stone wall.
transitive: pot + animal
From the boat, Jake potted ducks rising off the lake.
Angry boys potted at cans behind the empty barn after school.
Without aiming long, Mara potted at the bottle on the fence.
- shoot
the broad neutral verb for firing a gun
- hunt
stresses going after animals, not the shot itself
- take a shot at
informal phrase that often suggests one quick attempt
文法句型
pot + bird/small animal
pot at + target
用法筆記
Direct object is usually a bird or small animal. With 'at', the target can be a person or thing, and the idea is a quick shot rather than careful aiming.
常見錯誤
2. in snooker, pool, and similar games, to send a ball into a pocket around the tab
in snooker, pool, and similar games, to send a ball into a pocket around the table.
Lena potted the black ball and won the club final.
pot + ball
From a sharp angle, the yellow was potted by Grace.
passive: be potted
A lucky bounce helped Noah pot the green into the corner pocket.
The white ball stopped dead after Mia potted the red.
On the last turn, our captain potted two balls in a row.
- miss
to fail to send the ball into the pocket
文法句型
pot + ball
pot + ball into + pocket
用法筆記
Object is the ball that goes into the pocket, often named by color or number. Common in snooker and pool, and often followed by words showing the pocket or angle.
常見錯誤
3. to give a plant its own container for growing.
to give a plant its own container for growing.
Ella potted the mint in a clay bowl by the window.
pot + plant in + container
After the rain, Dad potted three tomato plants behind the shed.
At school, the children potted beans in old yogurt cups.
The gardener potted the rose cutting before the market opened.
By noon, six young herbs were potted for the sale.
- plant
broader everyday verb that is not limited to containers
- repot
specifically means moving a plant to a different pot
- transplant
broader gardening verb for moving a plant to a new place
文法句型
pot + plant
pot + plant in/into + container
用法筆記
Object is usually a live plant, cutting, or seedling, not the container. Gardeners often add 'in' or 'into' before the pot, bucket, or tray.
常見錯誤
pot — noun
- potsingular
- potsplural
1. A deep container, often metal, for preparing meals or heating water.
A deep container, often metal, for preparing meals or heating water.
A black pot of soup cooked on the stove all afternoon.
collocation: pot of soup
Grandma lifted the hot pot off the stove with a thick towel.
After washing rice, Ken filled the pot with water for dinner.
Steam rose from the pot when the noodles started to boil.
文法句型
pot of soup
fill the pot with water
cook in a pot
用法筆記
Usually used for something heated on a stove or fire. Distinguish from sense 2, which is mainly about storing something rather than cooking it.
常見錯誤
2. A small jar or similar container used for keeping food, cream, or liquid in.
A small jar or similar container used for keeping food, cream, or liquid in.
Lina kept sugar in a glass pot beside the tea cups.
keep something in a pot
The baby cream comes in a white pot with a blue lid.
pot with a lid
At the market, Eva bought a small pot of honey.
There was a pot of yogurt in each school lunch box.
文法句型
pot of honey
pot with a lid
keep something in a pot
用法筆記
Often used for small round containers sold with food, skin cream, or similar products. Distinguish from sense 1, which is for cooking, and sense 3, which is for plants.
3. A container filled with soil where a plant is grown.
A container filled with soil where a plant is grown.
A cactus grew in a red pot by the kitchen window.
pattern: grow in a pot
Ben moved the pot outside so the basil could get more sun.
Broken brick pieces lay at the bottom of the pot.
The cat knocked the pot off the step and spilled soil.
文法句型
grow in a pot
move the pot
bottom of the pot
用法筆記
Often appears with plant words such as soil, roots, water, or sunlight. Distinguish from sense 5, where 'pot' is part of a compound container name such as 'coffee pot'.
常見錯誤
4. As much as one pot can contain.
As much as one pot can contain.
One pot of coffee was enough for the whole office.
one pot of coffee = amount
At breakfast, Dad drank a whole pot by himself.
a whole pot
At the dim sum shop, we ordered two pots of tea for ten people.
Half a pot was left after the guests went home.
文法句型
one pot of coffee
a whole pot
half a pot
用法筆記
Usually appears with numbers or amount words such as 'one', 'two', 'whole', or 'half'. Distinguish from senses 1 and 2, which name the container itself.
5. Used after another noun to form the name of a container for a particular use or
Used after another noun to form the name of a container for a particular use or contents.
This coffee pot keeps the drink hot for three hours.
compound noun: coffee pot
Mia washed the jam pot and used it for paper clips.
compound noun: jam pot
A blue paint pot sat open on the classroom floor.
The old tea pot has a crack near the handle.
文法句型
coffee pot
jam pot
paint pot
用法筆記
Used after another noun, often showing what the container holds or what it is for. Distinguish from sense 2, which refers to one separate container rather than the word-building pattern.
6. A bowl, jar, or similar object shaped from clay and baked hard.
A bowl, jar, or similar object shaped from clay and baked hard.
On the shelf stood a clay pot with a rough brown surface.
collocation: clay pot
The museum displayed pots made by village artists a hundred years ago.
pots made by hand
Rosa shaped a simple pot in her first pottery class.
A cracked pot lay beside the old brick oven.
- vessel
broader word for any container, not only one made from clay
- earthenware
focuses on the clay material rather than one single object
- bowl
can name the shape, but a bowl is not always handmade clay
文法句型
clay pot
shape a pot
pots made by hand
用法筆記
Common in art, history, or craft contexts, especially when the material or maker matters. Distinguish from sense 1, which is about everyday kitchen use rather than the handmade object.
7. a very large quantity, especially of money that is available to use.
a very large quantity, especially of money that is available to use.
The school won a pot of money to build a new library.
a pot of money
There is still a pot of cash for local art projects.
there is a pot of cash for [purpose]
The team used up a big pot of grant money by June.
A pot of emergency money helped families after the storm.
- small amount
much less money or quantity
文法句型
a pot of money
a pot of cash
there is a pot of money for [purpose]
用法筆記
Usually appears in the pattern 'a pot of money/cash/funding' when talking about a sizeable amount ready to be spent. Distinguish from sense 8, where the money is gathered into one shared pool or bet.
常見錯誤
8. money collected together in one place, either for a group's shared use or as the
money collected together in one place, either for a group's shared use or as the total bet in a game.
Each player added ten dollars, and the pot reached eighty.
betting pot in a card game
We kept a lunch pot for tea, fruit, and paper cups.
shared pot for a group
After the quiz night, the winners split the whole pot.
The office pot paid for noodles during the late shift.
文法句型
add to the pot
split the pot
the office pot
用法筆記
Often follows 'the' when everyone already knows which shared money is meant. Distinguish from sense 7: this sense is one pooled fund, not just any large amount.
常見錯誤
9. a small toilet bowl that a young child uses before moving to a normal toilet.
a small toilet bowl that a young child uses before moving to a normal toilet.
Ella sat on the pot before bed and smiled proudly.
sit on the pot
Dad rinsed the blue pot after Noah used it.
wash or rinse the pot
The travel pot fit under the back seat of the car.
At nursery, each child has a name tag on the pot.
- potty
very common family word for the same object
- child's toilet
clear descriptive phrase
文法句型
sit on the pot
use the pot
wash the pot
用法筆記
Mostly heard in family talk about babies and toilet training. Many speakers also say 'potty', especially when speaking to children.
常見錯誤
10. an informal word for the drug cannabis.
an informal word for the drug cannabis.
The police found pot in a bag under the driver's seat.
informal drug noun
Jared was fired after bringing pot into the restaurant kitchen.
The film shows two brothers arguing over a bag of pot.
Her son admitted he had been smoking pot with friends.
文法句型
smoke pot
bag of pot
find pot
用法筆記
Informal and usually uncountable. Common with verbs such as 'smoke', 'carry', 'find', or 'sell', and often used in news or casual speech rather than legal writing.
常見錯誤
11. a round belly that sticks out noticeably in front of the body.
a round belly that sticks out noticeably in front of the body.
By fifty, Uncle Ray had a round pot under his shirt.
have a pot
In the wedding photo, Dad is slim and has no pot at all.
with no pot at all
Mr Lee's pot pressed against the table when he leaned forward.
After months of swimming, Ben's pot got much smaller.
- flat stomach
a stomach that does not stick out
文法句型
have a pot
round pot
pot under [clothing]
用法筆記
Informal and usually singular, often about a man's stomach showing through his clothes. Many speakers prefer the fuller form 'pot belly'.
常見錯誤
12. used in the fixed phrase 'go to pot' for a condition where a place or system is
used in the fixed phrase 'go to pot' for a condition where a place or system is left uncared for and becomes much worse.
The old cinema went to pot after the owner moved away.
go to pot = become neglected
Without repairs, the farm buildings have gone to pot.
have gone to pot
The club will go to pot if no one leads it.
Since the flood, that riverside park has really gone to pot.
- improvement
a change toward a better state
文法句型
go to pot
have gone to pot
let [place/system] go to pot
用法筆記
Almost only used in the fixed phrase 'go to pot'. It usually describes buildings, organizations, or systems that are becoming badly managed or uncared for.
常見錯誤
13. a shot where a player sends a ball down a pocket in snooker, pool, and similar g
a shot where a player sends a ball down a pocket in snooker, pool, and similar games.
Nina's long pot into the corner pocket won the final frame.
collocation: long pot into the corner pocket
The crowd cheered when Marcus made a difficult pot from mid-table.
pattern: make a pot
After that easy pot, Sarah lined up the black ball.
One clean pot gave the young player enough points to lead.
Lina missed two shots, then made a calm pot into the middle pocket.
- miss
a shot that does not send the ball into a pocket
用法筆記
Common with verbs like 'make' and 'miss', and often followed by the pocket named, as in 'a pot into the corner pocket'. Distinguish from verb sense 2, where 'pot' is the action word used with a direct object.
常見錯誤
pot — abbreviation
1. written short form of 'potential', used in notes, reports, and quick evaluations
written short form of 'potential', used in notes, reports, and quick evaluations for future ability, growth, or possible success.
The scout marked Eva as a player with pot. for the national team.
pot. = potential in scouting notes
On Noah's report card, the teacher wrote high pot. in red ink.
abbreviation in written evaluation notes
The report says this plan has little pot. without more money.
A coach saw real pot. in Mia's quick footwork.
The sales chart shows more pot. in smaller towns this year.
用法筆記
Mainly appears in notes, reports, and evaluations, often after words such as 'high', 'real', or 'little'. In ordinary prose and speech, people usually use the full word 'potential'.
常見錯誤
2. written short form of 'potentiometer', an electrical part that you turn or slide
written short form of 'potentiometer', an electrical part that you turn or slide to change resistance or control things such as volume or speed.
The repair note says the left volume pot. needs replacing.
collocation: volume pot.
Leo turned the pot. slowly until the radio sounded clear.
turn a pot. to adjust a device
Dad cleaned the scratchy pot. inside the old guitar amp.
The guide shows where the pot. goes on the circuit board.
A small pot. controls the speed of the classroom fan.
- potentiometer
the full technical word; clearer in formal writing
- control knob
less exact; names the part you turn, not the electrical component itself
用法筆記
Common in repair notes, wiring guides, and diagrams, often with words such as 'volume', 'tone', or 'trim'. Spell out 'potentiometer' in general writing when readers may not know the technical short form.