pot plant

IPA/ˈpɒt plɑːnt/
IPA/ˈpɑːt plænt/

pot plant — noun

1. a plant that is placed in a container with soil and kept inside a building, such

1.nounA2
Definition

a plant that is placed in a container with soil and kept inside a building, such as a home or office, for decoration or enjoyment.

Example

Nikos bought a small pot plant for his desk at the office.

Esme waters her pot plants every Sunday morning before breakfast.

collocation: water a pot plant

Common collocations
  • water a pot plant
  • keep a pot plant
  • grow pot plants
  • indoor pot plant
  • flowering pot plant
Synonyms
  • houseplant

    more common in American English; same meaning

  • potted plant

    often used for plants still in a temporary nursery pot

  • indoor plant

    focuses on the location rather than the container

Antonyms
  • outdoor plant

    a plant grown outside in the ground or in a garden bed

Grammar Patterns

a pot plant

pot plants

Usage Note

This meaning is more common in British English. In American English the term 'houseplant' is preferred for the same idea.

Common Mistakes

I bought a pot plant tree.
I bought a pot plant.
'pot plant' already means a plant in a pot; do not add 'tree' after it.

2. a cannabis plant, especially one grown without official permission for personal

2.nounB2
Definition

a cannabis plant, especially one grown without official permission for personal use or sale.

Example

The police found several pot plants hidden behind a tall fence in the garden.

Hao was arrested for growing pot plants in a rented warehouse outside the city.

collocation: grow pot plants

Common collocations
  • grow pot plants
  • find pot plants
  • hide pot plants
  • police found pot plants
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

a pot plant

pot plants

grow pot plants

Usage Note

This sense is slang. It relies on the word 'pot' as a slang term for cannabis. In formal or legal contexts the phrase 'cannabis plant' is preferred. 'Pot plant' for cannabis is much rarer than 'pot' on its own.

Common Mistakes

He smokes pot plants.
He smokes pot.' or 'He grows pot plants.
You smoke the dried leaves, not the whole plant.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three alternatives describe plants grown inside a building, but they differ in emphasis. 'Houseplant' is the most common term in American English and suggests a decorative plant kept inside a home — it is the closest general synonym. 'Potted plant' focuses on the container: any plant that is currently in a pot, whether indoors or temporarily outside on a patio. 'Indoor plant' contrasts with 'outdoor plant' and highlights the location rather than the container or decoration purpose. In British English, 'pot plant' is the everyday word; a British speaker would say 'I need to water my pot plants' where an American would say 'I need to water my houseplants.' Choose 'houseplant' for neutral, cross-dialect writing; use 'potted plant' when the container matters; and use 'indoor plant' when contrasting growing conditions.

houseplant ↗potted plantindoor plant

Common collocations

Nouns

Etymology

Old EnglishLatinMexican SpanishEnglish

'Pot plant' is a compound noun formed from 'pot' (a rounded container for holding soil, from Old English 'pott') and 'plant' (a living organism that grows in soil, from Latin 'planta' meaning a sprout or cutting). The houseplant sense of 'pot plant' has been used since the mid-19th century when keeping ornamental plants indoors became popular. The cannabis sense draws on 'pot' as slang for marijuana — a shortening of Mexican Spanish 'potiguaya' (marijuana leaves), which entered American slang in the 1930s and spread globally.