Ask Difference

Cup vs. Pot — What's the Difference?

By Fiza Rafique & Urooj Arif — Updated on March 14, 2024
A cup is a small vessel designed for an individual to drink from, typically holding about 8 ounces, while a pot is a larger container used for cooking or brewing beverages, holding multiple cups.
Cup vs. Pot — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Cup and Pot

ADVERTISEMENT

Key Differences

A cup is primarily used for drinking beverages such as tea, coffee, or water and is usually equipped with a handle. It is designed for individual use and often made from materials like ceramic, glass, or plastic. On the other hand, a pot is a versatile container used for cooking or brewing drinks like coffee or tea on a larger scale, capable of serving multiple cups at once.
Cups come in various designs, including those meant for specific drinks like espresso or tea, and can be decorative or plain. They are an integral part of tableware in many cultures. Pots, however, are more functional in design, focused on effective cooking or brewing, and are made from materials like metal, clay, or heat-resistant glass to withstand higher temperatures.
In terms of usage, cups are associated with the act of drinking and are a part of daily rituals like morning coffee or afternoon tea. Pots are central to cooking processes, including boiling, stewing, and brewing, and are essential kitchenware in both domestic and professional settings.
The capacity of a cup is typically fixed, with standard sizes ranging around 8 ounces, which is convenient for individual servings. In contrast, pots come in a wide range of sizes, from small ones suitable for a single meal to large ones used for cooking food in bulk or brewing beverages for many people.
While cups are often personalized and can reflect individual style or cultural heritage, pots are valued for their functionality and durability, playing a critical role in meal preparation and the brewing of beverages for groups.
ADVERTISEMENT

Comparison Chart

Primary Use

Drinking beverages
Cooking or brewing

Capacity

About 8 ounces
Varies widely, typically holds multiple cups

Material

Ceramic, glass, plastic
Metal, clay, heat-resistant glass

Design

Often decorative, with a handle
Functional, can be large or small

Context

Part of tableware, for individual use
Essential kitchenware, for group servings

Compare with Definitions

Cup

A small vessel for drinking.
She sipped her tea from a delicate porcelain cup.

Pot

Functional design.
The pot's design focused on even heat distribution.

Cup

Made from various materials.
The plastic cups were used for the outdoor party.

Pot

Varies in size.
She used a small pot for brewing tea.

Cup

Often has a handle.
He grabbed the cup by its handle to avoid the heat.

Pot

Essential in kitchens.
Every kitchen needs a good quality cooking pot.

Cup

Integral to daily rituals.
Their day starts with a cup of coffee.

Pot

Made to withstand heat.
The cast-iron pot was perfect for slow-cooking.

Cup

Reflects personal style.
The artist's cups featured unique hand-painted designs.

Pot

A container for cooking/brewing.
The stew was simmering in a large pot.

Cup

A cup is an open-top container used to hold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay, wood, stone, polystyrene, plastic, aluminium or other materials, and are usually fixed with a stem, handles, or other adornments.

Pot

A round, fairly deep cooking vessel with a handle and often a lid.

Cup

A small bowl-shaped container for drinking from, typically having a handle.

Pot

A short round container for storing or serving food
A jam pot.
A mustard pot.

Cup

An ornamental trophy in the form of a cup, usually made of gold or silver and having a stem and two handles, awarded as a prize in a sports contest.

Pot

A coffeepot.

Cup

A cup-shaped thing.

Pot

A teapot.

Cup

A mixed drink made from fruit juices and typically containing wine or cider
The bars offered large glasses of white wine cup
A non-alcoholic fruit cup

Pot

Such a container and its contents
A pot of stew.
Brewed a pot of coffee.

Cup

Form (one's hand or hands) into the curved shape of a cup
‘Hey!’ Dad shouted, with his hands cupped around his mouth

Pot

A potful.

Cup

Bleed (someone) by using a glass in which a partial vacuum is formed by heating
Dr Ross ordered me to be cupped

Pot

A large drinking cup; a tankard.

Cup

A small open container, usually with a flat bottom and a handle, used for drinking.

Pot

A drink of liquor contained in such a cup.

Cup

Such a container and its contents.

Pot

An artistic or decorative ceramic vessel of any shape.

Cup

Abbr. c. A unit of capacity or volume equal to 16 tablespoons or 8 fluid ounces (237 milliliters). See Table at measurement.

Pot

A flowerpot.

Cup

The bowl of a drinking vessel.

Pot

Something, such as a chimney pot or chamber pot, that resembles a round cooking vessel in appearance or function.

Cup

The chalice or the wine used in the celebration of the Eucharist.

Pot

A trap for eels, other fish, or crustaceans, typically consisting of a wicker or wire basket or cage.

Cup

A decorative cup-shaped vessel awarded as a prize or trophy.

Pot

The total amount staked by all the players in one hand in cards.

Cup

(Sports) A golf hole or the metal container inside a hole.

Pot

The area on a card table where stakes are placed.

Cup

Either of the two parts of a brassiere that fit over the breasts.

Pot

A shot in billiards or related games intended to send a ball into a pocket.

Cup

An athletic supporter having a protective reinforcement of rigid plastic or metal.

Pot

(Informal) A common fund to which members of a group contribute.

Cup

A sweetened, flavored, usually chilled beverage, especially one made with wine
Claret cup.

Pot

Often pots Informal A large amount
Lost a pot of cash in the stock market crash.
Made pots of money on their investment.

Cup

A dish served in a cup-shaped vessel
Fruit cup.

Pot

(Informal) A potshot.

Cup

A cuplike object.

Pot

(Informal) A potbelly.

Cup

(Biology) A cuplike structure or organ.

Pot

(Informal) A potty or toilet.

Cup

A lot or portion to be suffered or enjoyed.

Pot

Marijuana.

Cup

To shape like a cup
Cup one's hands.

Pot

See potentiometer.

Cup

To place one's curved hand or hands over or around
Cupped his chin in his hands.

Pot

To place or plant in a pot
Pot a geranium.

Cup

To subject to the therapeutic procedure of cupping.

Pot

To preserve (food) in a pot.

Cup

A concave vessel for drinking from, usually made of opaque material (as opposed to a glass) and with a handle.
Pour the tea into the cup.

Pot

To cook in a pot.

Cup

The contents of said vessel.
I drank two cups of water but still felt thirsty.

Pot

To shoot (game) for food rather than for sport.

Cup

A customary unit of measure

Pot

(Informal) To shoot with a potshot.

Cup

(US) A US unit of liquid measure equal to 8 fluid ounces (16 of a US gallon; 236.5882365 mL) or 240 mL.

Pot

(Informal) To win or capture; bag.

Cup

(Canada) A Canadian unit of measure equal to 8 imperial ounces (20 imperial gallon; 227.3 mL) or 250 mL.

Pot

(Games) To hit (a ball) into a pocket.

Cup

A British unit of measure equal to 2 imperial pint (10 imperial ounces; 284 mL) or 300 mL.

Pot

(Informal) To take a potshot.

Cup

A trophy in the shape of an oversized cup.
The World Cup is awarded to the winner of a quadrennial football tournament.

Pot

To make or shape objects from clay, as on a potter's wheel.

Cup

A contest for which a cup is awarded.
The World Cup is the world's most widely watched sporting event.

Pot

A flat-bottomed vessel (usually metal) used for cooking food.

Cup

(association football) The main knockout tournament in a country, organised alongside the league.

Pot

Various similar open-topped vessels, particularly

Cup

(golf) A cup-shaped object placed in the target hole.
The ball just misses the cup.

Pot

A vessel (usually earthenware) used with a seal for storing food, such as a honeypot.

Cup

(in combination) Any of various sweetened alcoholic drinks.
Cider cup
Gin cup
Claret cup

Pot

A vessel used for brewing or serving drinks: a coffeepot or teapot.

Cup

A rigid concave protective covering for the male genitalia.
Players of contact sports are advised to wear a cup.

Pot

A vessel used to hold soil for growing plants, particularly flowers: a flowerpot.

Cup

One of the two parts of a brassiere which each cover a breast.
The cups are made of a particularly uncomfortable material.

Pot

A vessel used for urination and defecation: a chamber pot; a toilet; the lavatory.
Shit or get off the pot.

Cup

Prefixed with a letter, used as a measurement of bra or breast size.

Pot

A crucible: a melting pot.

Cup

(mathematics) The symbol \cup denoting union and similar operations.

Pot

A pot-shaped trap used for catching lobsters or other seafood: a lobster pot.

Cup

(tarot) A suit of the minor arcana in tarot, or one of the cards from the suit.

Pot

A pot-shaped metal or earthenware extension of a flue above the top of a chimney: a chimney pot.

Cup

(ultimate frisbee) A defensive style characterized by a three player near defense cupping the thrower; or those three players.

Pot

A perforated cask for draining sugar.

Cup

A flexible concave membrane used to temporarily attach a handle or hook to a flat surface by means of suction.

Pot

(obsolete) An earthen or pewter cup or mug used for drinking liquor.

Cup

Anything shaped like a cup.
The cup of an acorn

Pot

A glass of beer in Australia whose size varies regionally but is typically around 10 fl oz (285 mL).

Cup

A cupping glass or other vessel or instrument used to produce the vacuum in cupping.

Pot

Pothole, sinkhole, vertical cave.

Cup

(figurative) That which is to be received or indured; that which is allotted to one; a portion of blessings and afflictions.

Pot

A shallow hole used in certain games played with marbles. The marbles placed in it are called potsies.

Cup

(transitive) To form into the shape of a cup, particularly of the hands.
Cup your hands and I'll pour some rice into them.

Pot

Ruin or deterioration.
After his arrest, his prospects went to pot.

Cup

(transitive) To hold something in cupped hands.
He cupped the ball carefully in his hands.

Pot

(historical) Any of various traditional units of volume notionally based on the capacity of a pot.

Cup

(transitive) To pour (a liquid, drink, etc.) into a cup.
We are cupping some new brands of coffee today.

Pot

(historical) An iron hat with a broad brim worn as a helmet.

Cup

To supply with cups of wine.

Pot

(rail transport) A pot-shaped non-conducting (usually ceramic) stand that supports an electrified rail while insulating it from the ground.

Cup

To apply a cupping apparatus to; to subject to the operation of cupping.

Pot

The money available to be won in a hand of poker or a round of other games of chance; (figuratively) any sum of money being used as an enticement.
No one's interested. You need to sweeten the pot.

Cup

To make concave or in the form of a cup.
To cup the end of a screw

Pot

A favorite: a heavily-backed horse.

Cup

A small vessel, used commonly to drink from; as, a tin cup, a silver cup, a wine cup; especially, in modern times, the pottery or porcelain vessel, commonly with a handle, used with a saucer in drinking tea, coffee, and the like.

Pot

(slang) potbelly: a pot-shaped belly, a paunch.

Cup

The contents of such a vessel; a cupful.
Give me a cup of sack, boy.

Pot

(slang) potshot: a haphazard shot; an easy or cheap shot.

Cup

Repeated potations; social or excessive indulgence in intoxicating drinks; revelry.
Thence from cups to civil broils.

Pot

A plaster cast.

Cup

That which is to be received or indured; that which is allotted to one; a portion.
O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.

Pot

(historical) nodot=a: a former size of paper, 12.5 × 15 inches.

Cup

Anything shaped like a cup; as, the cup of an acorn, or of a flower.
The cowslip's golden cup no more I see.

Pot

Marijuana.

Cup

A cupping glass or other vessel or instrument used to produce the vacuum in cupping.

Pot

A simple electromechanical device used to control resistance or voltage (often to adjust sound volume) in an electronic device by rotating or sliding when manipulated by a human thumb, screwdriver, etc.

Cup

To supply with cups of wine.
Cup us, till the world go round.

Pot

(RPG) potion

Cup

To apply a cupping apparatus to; to subject to the operation of cupping. See Cupping.

Pot

To put (something) into a pot.
To pot a plant

Cup

To make concave or in the form of a cup; as, to cup the end of a screw.

Pot

To preserve by bottling or canning.
Potted meat

Cup

A United States liquid unit equal to 8 fluid ounces

Pot

To cause a ball to fall into a pocket.

Cup

The quantity a cup will hold;
He drank a cup of coffee
He borrowed a cup of sugar

Pot

To be capable of being potted.
The black ball doesn't pot; the red is in the way.

Cup

A small open container usually used for drinking; usually has a handle;
He put the cup back in the saucer
The handle of the cup was missing

Pot

(transitive) To shoot with a firearm.

Cup

A large metal vessel with two handles that is awarded as a trophy to the winner of a competition;
The school kept the cups is a special glass case

Pot

To take a pot shot, or haphazard shot, with a firearm.

Cup

Any cup-shaped concavity;
Bees filled the waxen cups with honey
He wore a jock strap with a metal cup
The cup of her bra

Pot

To secure; gain; win; bag.

Cup

The hole (or metal container in the hole) on a golf green;
He swore as the ball rimmed the cup and rolled away
Put the flag back in the cup

Pot

(British) To send someone to gaol, expeditiously.

Cup

A punch served in a pitcher instead of a punch bowl

Pot

To tipple; to drink.

Cup

Cup-shaped plant organ

Pot

(transitive) To drain (e.g. sugar of the molasses) in a perforated cask.

Cup

Form into the shape of a cup;
She cupped her hands

Pot

To seat a person, usually a young child, on a potty or toilet, typically during toilet teaching.

Cup

Put into a cup;
Cup the milk

Pot

To apply a plaster cast to a broken limb.

Cup

Treat by applying evacuated cups to the patient's skin

Pot

To catch (a fish, eel, etc) via a pot.

Pot

To score (a drop goal).

Pot

To fade volume in or out by means of a potentiometer.

Pot

A metallic or earthen vessel, appropriated to any of a great variety of uses, as for boiling meat or vegetables, for holding liquids, for plants, etc.; as, a quart pot; a flower pot; a bean pot.

Pot

An earthen or pewter cup for liquors; a mug.

Pot

The quantity contained in a pot; a potful; as, a pot of ale.

Pot

A metal or earthenware extension of a flue above the top of a chimney; a chimney pot.

Pot

A crucible; as, a graphite pot; a melting pot.

Pot

A wicker vessel for catching fish, eels, etc.

Pot

A perforated cask for draining sugar.

Pot

A size of paper. See Pott.

Pot

Marijuana.

Pot

The total of the bets at stake at one time, as in racing or card playing; the pool;

Pot

A plain defensive headpiece; later, and perhaps in a jocose sense, any helmet; - called also pot helmet.

Pot

The total of the bets at one time; the pool.

Pot

To place or inclose in pots

Pot

To shoot for the pot, i.e., cooking; to secure or hit by a pot shot; to shoot when no special skill is needed.
When hunted, it [the jaguar] takes refuge in trees, and this habit is well known to hunters, who pursue it with dogs and pot it when treed.

Pot

To secure; gain; win; bag.

Pot

To tipple; to drink.
It is less labor to plow than to pot it.

Pot

To take a pot shot or shots, as at game or an enemy.

Pot

Metal or earthenware cooking vessel that is usually round and deep; often has a handle and lid

Pot

A plumbing fixture for defecation and urination

Pot

The quantity contained in a pot

Pot

A container in which plants are cultivated

Pot

(often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent;
A batch of letters
A deal of trouble
A lot of money
He made a mint on the stock market
It must have cost plenty

Pot

The cumulative amount involved in a game (such as poker)

Pot

Slang terms for a paunch

Pot

A resistor with three terminals, the third being an adjustable center terminal; used to adjust voltages in radios and TV sets

Pot

Street names for marijuana

Pot

Plant in a pot;
He potted the palm

Common Curiosities

Are pots only used for cooking?

While pots are primarily used for cooking, they can also be used for brewing large quantities of beverages.

What is a pot?

A pot is a larger container used for cooking or brewing, capable of holding multiple servings.

Can cups be used for cooking?

Cups are not typically used for cooking due to their size and material, which may not be heat-resistant.

How do the materials of cups and pots differ?

Cups are made from materials like ceramic or glass, suitable for drinking, while pots are made from heat-resistant materials like metal or clay for cooking.

How does one choose a cup or pot?

The choice depends on the intended use: cups for individual servings of beverages and pots for cooking or brewing in larger quantities.

Can you serve food in a cup?

Cups can be used for serving small portions of food, but they are primarily designed for beverages.

What is a cup?

A cup is a small vessel designed for drinking, typically with a handle, used for beverages like tea or coffee.

Can pots be decorative?

While pots are more functional, they can also have decorative elements, especially those used for serving or traditional cookware.

Are there cups designed for specific beverages?

Yes, there are cups specifically designed for certain drinks, like espresso cups or tea cups, tailored to enhance the drinking experience.

Do pots come with a handle?

Pots usually come with one or more handles to aid in handling, especially when hot.

Share Your Discovery

Share via Social Media
Embed This Content
Embed Code
Share Directly via Messenger
Link
Previous Comparison
Hiragana vs. Katana

Author Spotlight

Written by
Fiza Rafique
Fiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Urooj Arif
Urooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.

Popular Comparisons

Trending Comparisons

New Comparisons

Trending Terms