dry powder
Americannoun
-
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.
Etymology
Origin of dry powder
First recorded in 2000–05 dry powder for def. 1
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.
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
TPG raised more than $10 billion in new capital during the recent quarter, bringing its total dry powder at the end of the period to nearly $73 billion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026
“I’m holding some dry powder to try to buy at the bottom if there is an opportunity,” said Josh Kinser, an individual investor in Texas.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 2, 2026
Drain, let dry, and Page 184 beat to a dry powder with a fork.
From How to Cook Fish by Reed, Myrtle
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.
