potty
potty — adjective
- pottypositive
- pottiercomparative
- pottiestsuperlative
1. behaving in a way that seems foolish, slightly strange, or not sensible, often b
behaving in a way that seems foolish, slightly strange, or not sensible, often because of strong feelings or excitement
Owen's grandmother goes completely potty whenever she sees a spider in the house.
go + potty + adverb for becoming upset
All that noise from the building work is driving the neighbours potty.
drive + someone + potty for annoying someone
The children thought their teacher was potty when she suggested a trip to the moon.
The head chef went potty when he found the kitchen had run out of basil during dinner service.
- sensible
showing good judgement and reasonable behaviour
文法句型
go + potty
drive + someone + potty
be + potty
用法筆記
Common in the fixed expressions 'go potty' (become very angry or excited) and 'drive someone potty' (make someone annoyed or irritated). Not used in American English.
常見錯誤
2. feeling extremely strong enthusiasm or affection for a particular person, activi
feeling extremely strong enthusiasm or affection for a particular person, activity, or thing
Lauren is absolutely potty about vintage cameras and collects them from car boot sales.
be + potty + about + noun for strong enthusiasm
The little boy is potty about trains and knows every station on the main line.
Jude's whole family are potty about rugby and attend every home game together.
The cat is potty over tinned fish and comes running when the can opener sounds.
- crazy about
more widely understood across different forms of English
- mad about
also informal British English, very similar in meaning and tone
- wild about
slightly more intense, used in both British and American English
文法句型
be + potty + about + noun/pronoun
be + potty + over + noun/pronoun
用法筆記
Always used in the pattern 'be potty about/over something/someone'. This sense is not used before a noun — you cannot say 'a potty football fan'.
常見錯誤
3. connected with helping a young child learn to use the toilet by themselves, or w
connected with helping a young child learn to use the toilet by themselves, or with the physical process of urinating or defecating
The family started potty training their youngest daughter during the summer holidays.
potty + training as a compound modifier
Each time two-year-old Amara used her potty seat without fuss, the nursery teacher gave her a sticker on the chart.
Meera bought a potty seat that fits on the regular toilet for her toddler.
The toddler was so busy with her blocks that she forgot to use the potty and had an accident.
文法句型
potty + noun
用法筆記
Used only before a noun (attributive position). Common in parenting and early childhood contexts. 'Potty training' is the most frequent compound.
常見錯誤
4. describing humour that deals with urinating, defecating, or other embarrassing p
describing humour that deals with urinating, defecating, or other embarrassing physical functions in a way that some people find funny and others find in bad taste
The five-year-old found potty jokes absolutely hilarious at the dinner table.
potty + jokes for toilet humour
The cartoon is full of potty humour that appeals mostly to primary school children.
Gabriel's little brother cannot stop telling potty stories from his day at nursery school.
Parents sometimes find potty talk embarrassing, but young children think it is very funny.
- crude
broader meaning that covers any vulgar or offensive humour, not only toilet-related
- scatological
the formal technical term for humour about excrement, but rare in everyday conversation
文法句型
potty + humour/jokes/talk
用法筆記
Always placed before a noun. The humour referred to is normally about body functions that children find amusing but many adults consider crude or immature.
5. so small, unimportant, or minor that it does not deserve serious attention or ef
so small, unimportant, or minor that it does not deserve serious attention or effort
The argument was about a potty sum of money that was not worth fighting over.
potty + noun for trivial amount or issue
Tamás refused to waste time on such potty matters when bigger problems needed solving.
The difference between the two offers was potty and made no impact on the final decision.
Christopher dismissed the complaint as a potty issue that did not need a formal meeting.
- trivial
the standard neutral term; more appropriate in formal or written English
- insignificant
emphasises lack of importance rather than smallness
- piffling
another informal British word with similar meaning and tone
- significant
important enough to deserve attention
- important
the opposite in terms of worth and priority
文法句型
be + potty
potty + noun
用法筆記
A relatively rare use of 'potty'. More formal alternatives like 'trivial', 'minor', or 'insignificant' are far more common, especially in written English.
常見錯誤
potty — noun
- pottysingular
- pottiesplural
1. a small plastic receptacle that toddlers sit on while adults teach them how to u
a small plastic receptacle that toddlers sit on while adults teach them how to use the toilet without help
The little girl sat on her potty while her mother read her a picture book.
sit on + potty for the action of using it
Obi's parents bought a bright green potty with handles to help their son feel safe.
The toddler carried her potty into the living room so she could watch the cartoon.
The nursery keeps three blue plastic potties in the corner near the sink for the two-year-old group to use.
- training potty
a more explicit term that highlights the toilet-training purpose
- potty chair
emphasises the chair-like shape of some potties
用法筆記
The most common use of 'potty'. Refers specifically to a child's training toilet, not a regular toilet. Plural form is 'potties'.
2. the activity of urinating or defecating, used when speaking to or about a small
the activity of urinating or defecating, used when speaking to or about a small child who is still learning to manage without nappies
The three-year-old told his father he needed to do potty before the film started.
do + potty as a child-language phrase
Sumin reminded her daughter to try going potty before they left for the park.
Before settling on the carpet for afternoon story time, the nursery assistant asked each toddler whether they needed potty first.
After his accident, the little boy cried because he had wanted to do potty.
文法句型
do + potty
need + potty
用法筆記
Used almost exclusively with or about young children. Common in the phrases 'do potty' and 'need potty'. An adult would not normally say this about themselves. This sense is uncountable and often used without an article.
常見錯誤
3. a room in a house, restaurant, or other building that contains a toilet and a wa
a room in a house, restaurant, or other building that contains a toilet and a washbasin
Excuse me, could you tell me where the potty is in this restaurant, please?
the + potty for a bathroom
The museum has a family potty on the ground floor with a tiny sink and a baby-changing station.
Fatima asked the receptionist whether the leisure centre had a family potty she could use with her toddler.
The café near the station has a clean potty on the ground floor for customers.
用法筆記
An informal British term for a toilet or bathroom. Similar to 'loo' but used especially when talking about children's facilities. Less common than 'toilet' or 'loo' in everyday British English.
potty — verb
- pottypresent simple I / you / we / they
- potties3rd person singular
- pottying-ing form
- pottiedpast simple
1. to empty the bladder or bowels, a word used by parents and carers when speaking
to empty the bladder or bowels, a word used by parents and carers when speaking to toddlers who are learning to manage on their own
The little boy is learning to potty in the bathroom just like his older sister.
learn + to + potty as verb
The teacher reminds the children to try to potty before they go outside to play.
try and + potty as an instruction
The toddler shouted that she needed to potty and ran towards the bathroom door.
The child pottied in her training pants during the night instead of asking for help.
文法句型
potty + adverb
need + to + potty
用法筆記
Child-directed language used by caregivers and parents when talking to toddlers about using the toilet. Occasionally used by adults as a euphemism. The past tense is 'pottied'.