kettle
kettles
A kettle is a pot made for boiling water. Most kettles are metal, with a lid and a spout. If you're in the mood for a cup of tea, it might be time to "put the kettle on."
You can use the word kettle to mean "metal cooking pot," although it's mostly used for the kind you use to make your tea or instant soup. If you want to comment on the incredible awkwardness of a situation, you can use the colloquial phrase, "Well, this is a fine kettle of fish," and if you criticize a friend for something you're also guilty of, she might say, "That's the pot calling the kettle black!"
Definitions of kettle
-
a metal pot for stewing or boiling; usually has a lid
-
the quantity a kettle will hold
-
synonyms:
kettleful
-
type of:
-
containerful
the quantity that a container will hold
-
containerful
-
a large hemispherical brass or copper percussion instrument with a drumhead that can be tuned by adjusting the tension on it
-
synonyms:
kettledrum, timpani, tympani, tympanum
-
type of:
-
percussion instrument, percussive instrument
a musical instrument in which the sound is produced by one object striking another
-
percussion instrument, percussive instrument
-
(geology) a hollow (typically filled by a lake) that results from the melting of a mass of ice trapped in glacial deposits
-
synonyms:
kettle hole
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘kettle'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
Send us feedback
Word Family
EDITOR'S CHOICE
Look up kettle for the last time
Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the words you need to know.
