noun

bottle

BOT-l

noun

A container, usually glass or plastic, with a narrow neck, used for holding liquids.

"He filled his water bottle before the hike."

"She recycled the empty wine bottles after the party."

A container with a nipple used to feed liquid, especially milk or formula, to a baby.

"She warmed up a bottle for the baby before bed."

(British, informal) Nerve or courage.

"He lost his bottle at the last second and didn't jump."

verb

To put a liquid into bottles for storage or sale.

"The winery bottles its own vintage every autumn."

To hold back or suppress feelings instead of expressing them, especially in "bottle up."

"He tends to bottle up his stress instead of talking about it."

How to Use Bottle

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA container for liquids with a narrow neck; also used to mean nerve or courage, and — as "bottle up" — to hold in one's feelings.

UK vs US

"Lose your bottle" (meaning lose your nerve) is a British expression, not commonly used in American English.

Common pairings

bottle up lose your bottle baby bottle bottle of wine

bottled past tense, bottles plural, bottles plural, bottles plural, bottles singular

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He filled his water _____ before the hike.

From Old French boteille, from Late Latin butticula, a diminutive of buttis ("cask") — the same root that gives us "butt" as in a cask of wine.

baby's bottle feeding bottle nursing bottle

cowardice

courage cowardice

throttle

baby's bottle feeding bottle nursing bottle cowardice courage