plural kettles
1
: a metallic vessel usually used for boiling liquids
especially
: teakettle
2
3
a
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
Rick Steelhammer
kettled; kettling
ˈket-liŋ 
ˈke-tᵊl-iŋ
; kettles
: 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
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
Lucy Uprichard
Examples of kettle in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Nora Colomer, Fox News, 12 Feb. 2025
According to recent headlines state officials are telling BGE to rein in its spending, which is a prime example of the pot calling the kettle black.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 8 Feb. 2025
Devinder Bains, Vogue, 29 July 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for kettle
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Noun
Hamilton Beach electric kettle: on sale for $39.99 Original price: $49.99
The Hamilton Beach 1.7 Liter Temperature Control Electric Kettle uses double-wall construction to keep water warm twice as long.
—Nora Colomer, Fox News, 12 Feb. 2025
According to recent headlines state officials are telling BGE to rein in its spending, which is a prime example of the pot calling the kettle black.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 8 Feb. 2025
Verb
Bloodied bodies with gunshot wounds being carted to hospitals; armed police kettling and attacking students in the streets; female protestors covering their faces and running from tear gas and burning cars as other students are beaten with sticks.
—Devinder Bains, Vogue, 29 July 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for kettle
Articles Related to kettle
Cite this Entry
“Kettle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kettle. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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