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Gunpowder Plot

American

noun

an unsuccessful plot to kill King James I and the assembled Lords and Commons by blowing up Parliament, November 5, 1605, in revenge for the laws against Roman Catholics.

Gunpowder Plot British

noun

the unsuccessful conspiracy to blow up James I and Parliament at Westminster on Nov 5, 1605 See also Guy Fawkes Day

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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A perennial target of assassins, James survived the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, when Guy Fawkes and confederates hoped to blow up Parliament.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025

The company has previously produced immersive experiences including The Gunpowder Plot and The War of The Worlds.

From BBC • Jan. 3, 2024

After Guy Fawkes's Gunpowder Plot to blow up British Parliament was foiled in 1605, the government declared November 5 a day to celebrate.

From Salon • Oct. 11, 2021

When Gunpowder Plot supporters sought leniency “for Fawkes’ sake” in November 1605, little did they know it would become a maxim of exasperation for generations to come.

From Washington Post • Dec. 10, 2020

So ended the strange and famous Gunpowder Plot.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 6 "Groups, Theory of" to "Gwyniad" by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023