powder
1any solid substance reduced to a state of fine, loose particles by crushing, grinding, disintegration, etc.
a preparation in this form, as gunpowder or face powder.
Also powder snow .Skiing. loose, usually fresh snow that is not granular, wet, or packed.
to reduce to powder; pulverize.
to sprinkle or cover with powder: She powdered the cookies with confectioners' sugar.
to apply powder to (the face, skin, etc.) as a cosmetic.
to sprinkle or strew as if with powder: A light snowfall powdered the landscape.
to ornament in this fashion, as with small objects scattered over a surface: a dress lightly powdered with sequins.
to use powder as a cosmetic.
to become pulverized.
Origin of powder
1Other words from powder
- pow·der·er, noun
Words Nearby powder
Other definitions for powder (2 of 2)
British Dialect. to rush.
British Dialect. a sudden, frantic, or impulsive rush.
Origin of powder
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use powder in a sentence
It’s filled with an emery powder, which can sharpen needles.
Hints From Heloise: Grocery delivery has its pros and cons | Heloise Heloise | February 11, 2021 | Washington PostToner cartridges use a powder and precision technology to accurately and sharply print out text documents.
Best all-in-one printer: Upgrade your home office with these multitasking machines | Carsen Joenk | February 8, 2021 | Popular-SciencePlus, metal powders also can present a “breathing hazard,” Gunduz points out.
This huge Xerox printer can create metal parts for the US Navy | Rob Verger | February 4, 2021 | Popular-ScienceNext, glazes are mixed, requiring a number of powders, sands, and clays.
How Traditional Korean Tableware Is Made for Michelin-Starred Restaurants | Eater Video | January 27, 2021 | EaterThe new catalyst is a powder made of cheap ingredients, such as iron.
A new catalyst turns greenhouse gas into jet fuel | Maria Temming | January 27, 2021 | Science News For Students
Place the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt on parchment or wax paper.
Make ‘The Chew’s’ Carla Hall’s Sticky Toffee Pudding | Carla Hall | December 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTOther versions are coated in marzipan, or dusted in powder sugar.
One Cake to Rule Them All: How Stollen Stole Our Hearts | Molly Hannon | December 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThis powder can be shipped anywhere and then reconstituted—just add water, as if it were instant coffee.
Powdered Measles Vaccine Could Be Huge for Developing World | Kent Sepkowitz | December 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTSo the new inhaled powder measles vaccine may in a few years turn out to be an easier way to protect kids from measles.
Powdered Measles Vaccine Could Be Huge for Developing World | Kent Sepkowitz | December 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThey say that the Israelis framed him in order to light the powder keg of religious war over the al-Aqsa compound.
In Jerusalem Home Demolitions, the Biblical Justice of Revenge | Creede Newton | November 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe law went into operation in England imposing a tax on wearing hair powder.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel MunsellThe girl began to hum, as she powdered her nose with a white glove, lying in a powder box.
Rosemary in Search of a Father | C. N. WilliamsonSteam machinery would accomplish more than nine-tenths of all the work, besides saving the expense of all the powder.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2) | Francis TrevithickWhen first seen it is said to have had a pasty consistency, but on exposure to the air it dried and crumbled into powder.
Asbestos | Robert H. JonesThe poorest people reduce it to powder by manual labour, in the same way as they grind corn preparatory to baking it into cakes.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2) | Francis Trevithick
British Dictionary definitions for powder
/ (ˈpaʊdə) /
a solid substance in the form of tiny loose particles
any of various preparations in this form, such as gunpowder, face powder, or soap powder
fresh loose snow, esp when considered as skiing terrain
take a powder US and Canadian slang to run away or disappear
to turn into powder; pulverize
(tr) to cover or sprinkle with or as if with powder
Origin of powder
1Derived forms of powder
- powderer, noun
- powdery, adjective
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with powder
see keep one's powder dry; sitting on a powder keg; take a powder.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Browse