potter
1 Americannoun
verb (used without object)
noun
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Beatrix 1866–1943, English writer and illustrator of children's books.
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Paul, 1625–54, Dutch painter.
noun
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( Helen ) Beatrix. 1866–1943, British author and illustrator of children's animal stories, such as The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902)
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Dennis ( Christopher George ). 1935–94, British dramatist. His TV plays include Pennies from Heaven (1978), The Singing Detective (1986), and Blackeyes (1989)
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Paulus. 1625–54, Dutch painter, esp of animals
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Stephen. 1900–70, British humorist and critic. Among his best-known works are Gamesmanship (1947) and One-Upmanship (1952), on the art of achieving superiority over others
verb
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(intr; often foll by about or around) to busy oneself in a desultory though agreeable manner
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(intr; often foll by along or about) to move with little energy or direction
to potter about town
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to waste (time)
to potter the day away
noun
noun
Other Word Forms
- potterer noun
- potteringly adverb
Etymology
Origin of potter1
before 1100; Middle English; late Old English pottere. See pot 1, -er 1
Origin of potter2
1520–30; frequentative of obsolete, dial. pote to push, poke, Middle English poten, Old English potian to push, thrust. See put, -er 6
Explanation
If you regularly make bowls and mugs out of clay, you can call yourself a potter. Potters shape soft clay either by pinching it with their fingers or turning it on a wheel while pulling and squeezing the moving clay. After shaping and sometimes glazing or decorating a piece of pottery, a potter bakes it at a high temperature in a special oven called a kiln. The verb potter, "occupy one's self in a pleasant, unhurried way," comes from a different root from the noun — so a potter doesn't necessarily potter around her studio.
Vocabulary lists containing potter
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But that requires more time and energy than I’m willing to sacrifice while raising a young child and entertaining my dreams of becoming a star potter.
From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026
Chamlee once picked up a charming ceramic sun at a yard sale for $30—only to learn via Google that the stamp on the back marked it as a rare piece by midcentury potter David Gil.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 8, 2025
"I used to love to just sit on a stool and potter in the garden but now I'm restricted – I can't get down to get close."
From BBC • May 17, 2025
This L.A. glassblower breaks the rules with his stunning vessels An auto engineer became a full-time potter in L.A.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2024
He was hardly a father except in the vocational sense, as a potter with clay to be molded.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
