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
During her residency, she met Michael Frimkess, a Los Angeles potter who had studied with ceramic revolutionary Peter Voulkos at what would become the Otis College of Art and Design.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 20, 2024
The couple made the place their own by lining open shelves with vintage cafe pitchers, old stoneware confit pots and sgraffito ceramics by the Marseillais potter Vincent Verde.
From New York Times • Mar. 20, 2024
Every once in a while an inexperienced potter would try his hand at painting his pieces, but the more accomplished potters, Min and Kang among them, had long ago given up trying the technique.
From "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park
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.
