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

At the same time, margin debt continues to climb, reaching levels not seen in years, a sign of elevated leverage and risk appetite rather than abundant dry powder.

From Barron's

Keeping some dry powder may come in handy if the markets pull back temporarily while continuing to push higher in the long term.

From Barron's

Warren Buffett sits on a mountain of it so that, when this expensive market finally trips, he has dry powder.

From MarketWatch

Here’s the math that keeps me bullish: Global private-equity funds hold roughly $2.5 trillion in dry powder, much of which will require private-credit financing.

From Barron's

When fund managers’ cash goes low enough, they can’t buy much more stock, and they sometimes have to sell some to raise more “dry powder.”

From Barron's