melting pot

/ˌmɛltɪŋ ˈpɑt/

/ˈmɛltɪŋ pɒt/

Other forms: melting pots

A melting pot is a metaphor for a society where many different types of people blend together as one. America is often called a melting pot.

Some countries are made of people who are almost all the same in terms of race, religion, and culture. Then there are places like the United States, where there are many different types of people. A place like that is a melting pot, because the people — despite their differences — manage to coexist and live together as one nation. Anywhere diverse people are assimilated could be called a melting pot. In a melting pot, differences become less important than unity.

Definitions of melting pot

1. noun

   an environment in which many ideas and races are socially assimilated
   type of:

   environment, environs, surround, surroundings

   the area in which something exists or lives
2. noun

   a vessel made of material that does not melt easily; used for high temperature chemical reactions
   synonyms: crucible

   type of:

   vessel

   an object used as a container (especially for liquids)