kettle

1 of 2

noun

ket·​tle ˈke-tᵊl How to pronounce kettle (audio)
plural kettles
1
: a metallic vessel usually used for boiling liquids
especially : teakettle
2
3
b
: a steep-sided hollow without surface drainage especially in a deposit of glacial drift
4
: a usually large group of raptors (such as hawks or vultures) circling high in the sky on an updraft of warm air
… more than 500 birds have been seen riding the same spiraling thermal air current, or "kettle," as they are known to hawk-watchers.Rick Steelhammer

kettle

2 of 2

verb

kettled; kettling ˈket-liŋ How to pronounce kettle (audio)
ˈke-tᵊl-iŋ
; kettles

transitive verb

: to corral or contain (people) in large numbers by surrounding and forcing into an enclosed area
Police officers stood in a line in front of them but protesters seemed to think they'd be allowed through. They were not. Instead, they were kettled with orange nets, and arrested.Jen Doll
kettling noun
In London, over 30 students were arrested as part of an occupation at Senate House, which included police brutality and kettling. Lucy Uprichard

Examples of kettle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Roy filled the kettle for tea and Mandy guided the girl to one of the chrome barstools at the kitchen island. Fiona McFarlane, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 Also, there’s a burrito/nacho bar, along with the pizza, kettle popcorn and Pours cafe at Kentucky’s first Publix store in Louisville at the Terra Crossing Shopping Center. Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 29 Feb. 2024 The property has 16 A-frame cabins each with river and outdoor access, high-speed Wi-Fi, an electric kettle and a queen bed and sleeper sofa. Lorenza Medley, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024 However, if something were to happen, the cookware brand that has been loved for generations has extensive warranties that extend to its steel kettles. Gabriela Izquierdo, Southern Living, 30 Jan. 2024 There’s a full kitchen, but the beer — hoppy ales, a nitro oatmeal stout and kettle sours — are the stars. Jay R. Brooks, The Mercury News, 16 Jan. 2024 The collection includes everything from antique silver drinkware to 19th-century mirrors, lamps, and tea kettles. Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 18 Feb. 2024 Currently 21% off in select colors, this 1.7-quart tea kettle’s porcelain enamel resists interior stains, rust, and scratches, and the non-porous material won’t absorb flavors that would potentially affect long-term taste. Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Feb. 2024 Shop colorful, retro baking dishes, tea kettles, placemats, mugs, and more to give your kitchen a nostalgic update. Lauren Taylor, Southern Living, 8 Feb. 2024
Verb
Settlement is one of many The settlement comes months after the city agreed to pay several hundred other people $21,500 apiece to settle a class-action lawsuit related to a similar incident involving kettling in the Bronx. USA TODAY, 20 July 2023 During some of the 2020 protest marches, officers deployed a crowd control tactic known as kettling against peaceful protesters, corralling them in tight spaces and attacking them with batons and pepper spray before making mass arrests. Jake Offenhartz, Fortune, 20 July 2023 Among the demonstrators kettled in Mott Haven was Henry Wood, one of five plaintiffs named in the suit. Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2023 These protesters were kettled. Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 1 Mar. 2023 That was in place the day of the June 4 protest in the Bronx, and in their lawsuits, the protesters claimed they were kettled by the cops well before the 8 p.m. curfew, preventing them from dispersing. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2023 According to the lawsuit, more than 300 protesters were kettled and assaulted by the New York City Police Department in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx on June 4, 2020. Talal Ansari, WSJ, 1 Mar. 2023 Agency spokespeople did not respond to questions Saturday morning about why the agency chose to kettle demonstrators. oregonlive, 13 Mar. 2021 No arrests were made and the police somehow managed not to kettle the group. Nick Martin, The New Republic, 5 Nov. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'kettle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English ketel, from Old Norse ketill (akin to Old English cietel kettle), both from a prehistoric Germanic word borrowed from Latin catillus, diminutive of catinus bowl

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

2009, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of kettle was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near kettle

Cite this Entry

“Kettle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kettle. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

kettle

noun
ket·​tle ˈket-ᵊl How to pronounce kettle (audio)
1
: a pot for boiling liquids
2
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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