A teapot is a vessel in which to brew tea leaves with hot or boiling water, either inside a tea bag or loose, in which case a tea strainer will be needed to catch the leaves when the tea is poured. Teapots usually have an opening on the top with lid where the tea and water are added, and a spout through which the tea can be poured. A small hole in the top of the lid is necessary to stop the spout dripping when poured. In modern times, a tea cosy is sometimes used to prevent the contents of the teapot from cooling too rapidly.

A teapot is notable for its rather peculiar shape, and its fame has often nothing to do with its primary function.

The Utah Teapot is a standard reference object of the computer graphics community, comparable to Hello, World for its popularity. It is included as a graphics primitive in many graphics packages, including AutoCAD, POV-Ray, OpenGL, Direct3D, and 3D Studio Max.

Russell's teapot, a skeptic analogy refuting the unfalsifiability of religious claims.

The teapot has been featured in the nursery rhyme, "I'm a Little Teapot".

The character 'Mrs. Potts' in Disney's film Beauty and the Beast is a teapot.

Teapot Dome is the name given to a political scandal centred around the sale of an oilfield which was named 'Teapot Dome' after a local teapot-shaped rock formation.

The constellation of Sagittarius famously resembles a teapot.

Bertrand Russell devised a fictional teapot, known as Russell's teapot that was further expanded upon by Richard Dawkins to demonstrate the implications of agnostic conciliation*.

Teapots in architecture:

In 2004 Malaysian cult called the Sky Kingdom erected a pink teapot 35 feet tall on its property as part of its own private symbolism *.As part of a crackdown on the sect in August 2005 bulldozers and heavy machinery were sent in to tear down the structure.

The (purported) world's largest architectural teapot is to be found in Ohio *.In 1938 The Chester Teapot was constructed by William "Babe" Devon. The Teapot started its life as a gigantic wooden hogshead barrel for a Hire's Root Beer advertising campaign. Devon purchased the barrel in Pennsylvania and had it shipped to Chester where it was set up on Carolina Avenue, which is also State Route 2. A spout and handle were added at this time and the wooden barrel was covered with tin to form the teapot's shape. A large glass ball was placed on top to make the knob of the "lid". The Teapot stood in front of Devon's pottery outlet store. Local teenagers were hired to run a concession and souvenir stand which was set up inside the Teapot.