pot¹ / pät/ • n. 1. a container, typically rounded or cylindrical and of ceramic ware or metal, used for storage or cooking: clay pots for keeping water cool in summer a cooking pot. ∎ short for teapot, flowerpot, lobster pot, chamber pot, etc. ∎  (the pot) a toilet. ∎  a container for holding drink, esp. beer. ∎  the contents of any of such containers: a pot of coffee.2. (the pot) the total sum of the bets made on a round in poker and other card games: Jim raked in the pot. ∎  all the money contributed by a group of people for a particular purpose: in insurance, everybody puts money into the pot used to pay claims.3. inf. a potbelly.• v. (pot·ted, pot·ting) [tr.] 1. plant in a flowerpot: pot individual cuttings as soon as you see new young leaves.2. chiefly Brit. preserve (food, esp. meat or fish) in a sealed pot or jar: venison can be potted in the same way as tongue.3. Brit., Billiards another term for pocket.4. inf. hit or kill (someone or something) by shooting: he was shot in the eye as neighbors potted clay pigeons.PHRASES: for the pot for food or cooking: at the age of fifteen weeks, the snails are ready for the pot.go to pot inf. deteriorate through neglect: the foundry was allowed to go to pot in the seventies.the pot calling the kettle black used to convey that the criticisms a person is aiming at someone else could equally well apply to themselves.pot of goldsee gold.shit (or piss) or get off the pot vulgar slang used to convey that someone should stop wasting time and get on with something.DERIVATIVES: pot·ful / -ˌfoŏl/ n. (pl. -fuls) .pot² • n. inf. cannabis.