gunpowder
Americannoun
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an explosive mixture, as of potassium nitrate, sulfur, and charcoal, used in shells and cartridges, in fireworks, for blasting, etc.
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Also called gunpowder tea. a fine variety of green China tea, each leaf of which is rolled into a little ball.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of gunpowder
late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at gun 1, powder 1
Vocabulary lists containing gunpowder
East Asia - Middle School
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East Asia - High School
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Civil Engineering
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Authorities said that two gunpowder warehouses within the factory area posed a high risk amid rescue efforts, state media reported.
From BBC • May 4, 2026
His mother doesn't acknowledge that Ruben is a loose cannon loaded with vast quantities of gunpowder.
From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026
Though the conquistadors enjoyed superior technology, including steel weapons and gunpowder, European diseases such as smallpox and measles proved more decisive, taking untold millions of indigenous lives.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 14, 2025
One recent target was the Bryansk Chemical Plant that makes gunpowder, explosives and components for rocket fuel for ammunition and missiles.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 5, 2025
First, I set down the sack of gunpowder so that I could rotate my belt around my waist.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
