powder

¹ American  

[pou-der] / ˈpaʊ dər /

verb (used without object)

1. British Dialect. to rush.

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noun

1. British Dialect. a sudden, frantic, or impulsive rush.

idioms

1. take a powder, to leave in a hurry; depart without taking leave, as to avoid something unpleasant: Also take a runout powder.

   He took a powder and left his mother to worry about his gambling debts.

powder ² American  

[pou-der] / ˈpaʊ dər /

noun

1. any solid substance reduced to a state of fine, loose particles by crushing, grinding, disintegration, etc.

2. a preparation in this form, as gunpowder or face powder.

3. Skiing. Also loose, usually fresh snow that is not granular, wet, or packed.

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verb (used with object)

1. to reduce to powder; pulverize.

2. to sprinkle or cover with powder.

   She powdered the cookies with confectioners' sugar.

3. to apply powder to (the face, skin, etc.) as a cosmetic.

4. to sprinkle or strew as if with powder.

   A light snowfall powdered the landscape.

5. to ornament in this fashion, as with small objects scattered over a surface.

   a dress lightly powdered with sequins.

verb (used without object)

1. to use powder as a cosmetic.

2. to become pulverized.

powder British  

/ ˈpaʊdə /

noun

1. a solid substance in the form of tiny loose particles

2. any of various preparations in this form, such as gunpowder, face powder, or soap powder

3. fresh loose snow, esp when considered as skiing terrain

4. slang to run away or disappear

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verb

1. to turn into powder; pulverize

2. (tr) to cover or sprinkle with or as if with powder

powder More Idioms  

1. see keep one's powder dry; sitting on a powder keg; take a powder.

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Other Word Forms

• powderer noun
• powdery adjective

Etymology

Origin of powder¹

First recorded in 1625–35; origin uncertain

Origin of powder¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English noun poudre, pouder, from Old French poudre, pouldre, from Latin pulver- (stem of pulvis ) “dust, powder”; akin to pollen; the verb is derivative of the noun

Example Sentences

He liked the chance to kick his legs in the air while they changed him, and he loved the soft feeling of the powder they sprinkled on his bottom.

From Literature

The drop was driven mainly by falling cheese and butter prices, due to ample supplies and strong global competition, while milk powder prices edged higher, supported by renewed import demand for skimmed milk powder.

From The Wall Street Journal

He noted that the firm ended December with $156 billion in dry powder, or capital available to invest, after raising a record $113.2 billion last year, including $35.9 billion in the fourth quarter alone.

From The Wall Street Journal

Next he built a fire and started pouring strange, smelly powders onto the flames.

From Literature

AGI, a company that makes powdered supplements, has dropped him as a scientific adviser.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• crumb
• dust