The bottle is a rigid container with a narrower neck than the body and mouth. Instead, the jar has a relatively large mouth or opening that can be as wide as the entire container. Bottles are usually made of glass, clay, plastic, aluminum or other impervious materials and are often used to store liquids such as water, milk, soft drinks, beer, wine, cooking oil, medicines, shampoo, ink and chemicals. The device used to seal the bottle mouth in the bottling line is called the external bottle cap, bottle cap or internal plug. The bottle can also be sealed with a conductive "internal seal" by using an inductive seal.

The bottle has been used for thousands of years. The earliest examples are in China, Phoenicia, Rome and Crete. Bottles are usually recycled according to the SPI recycling code of the material. Some regions have a legal deposit that can be refunded after the bottle is returned to the retailer.