dry powder

American  

[drahy pou-der] / ˈdraɪ ˈpaʊ dər /

noun

1. cash reserves, liquid assets, or easily liquidated assets such as readily saleable stocks and bonds, held by a corporation or an individual in order to cover current or future obligations, make new purchases, or take advantage of unforeseen opportunities.

   Stick with small investments for now, but keep some dry powder on hand in case we start to see this industry grow stronger.

2. powder.

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Etymology

Origin of dry powder

First recorded in 2000–05 dry powder for def. 1

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dry powder

The dry powder is more umami-heavy with notes of garlic and shiitake mushrooms and spicy, courtesy of gochugaru, or Korean red chili pepper.

From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026

“We are profitable, deployed around the world and with the latest financing round we now have more than $1.2 billion of dry powder to execute,” Florian Seibel, co-founder and co-chief executive, said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

Blackstone BX -0.03%decrease; red down pointing triangle has raised $13.1 billion in its largest Asia private-equity fund, joining the number of firms gathering dry powder to invest in the world’s fastest-growing region.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026

“This is a market you want to be watching, carefully, with dry powder in hand and discipline at the ready.”

From Barron's ● Apr. 21, 2026

Azophor red P N is also a preparation of diazotised paranitroaniline in the form of a dry powder which keeps well.

From The Dyeing of Cotton Fabrics A Practical Handbook for the Dyer and Student by Beech, Franklin