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View synonyms for

powder

1

[ pou-der ]

noun

  1. any solid substance reduced to a state of fine, loose particles by crushing, grinding, disintegration, etc.
  2. a preparation in this form, as gunpowder or face powder.
  3. Also . Skiing. loose, usually fresh snow that is not granular, wet, or packed.


verb (used with object)

  1. to reduce to powder; pulverize.
  2. to sprinkle or cover with powder:

    She powdered the cookies with confectioners' sugar.

  3. to apply powder to (the face, skin, etc.) as a cosmetic.
  4. to sprinkle or strew as if with powder:

    A light snowfall powdered the landscape.

  5. to ornament in this fashion, as with small objects scattered over a surface:

    a dress lightly powdered with sequins.

verb (used without object)

  1. to use powder as a cosmetic.
  2. to become pulverized.

powder

2

[ pou-der ]

verb (used without object)

  1. British Dialect. to rush.

noun

  1. British Dialect. a sudden, frantic, or impulsive rush.

powder

/ ˈ貹ʊə /

noun

  1. a solid substance in the form of tiny loose particles
  2. any of various preparations in this form, such as gunpowder, face powder, or soap powder
  3. fresh loose snow, esp when considered as skiing terrain
  4. take a powder slang.
    to run away or disappear
“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

verb

  1. to turn into powder; pulverize
  2. tr to cover or sprinkle with or as if with powder
“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
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Derived Forms

  • ˈǷɻ, noun
  • ˈǷɻ, adjective
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Other Word Forms

  • Ƿd· noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of powder1

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English noun poudre, pouder, from Old French poudre, pouldre, from Latin pulver- (stem of pulvis ) “dust, powder”; akin to pollen; the verb is derivative of the noun

Origin of powder2

First recorded in 1625–35; origin uncertain
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Word History and Origins

Origin of powder1

C13: from Old French poldre, from Latin pulvis dust
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. take a powder, Slang. to leave in a hurry; depart without taking leave, as to avoid something unpleasant: Also take a runout powder.

    He took a powder and left his mother to worry about his gambling debts.

More idioms and phrases containing powder

see keep one's powder dry ; sitting on a powder keg ; take a powder .
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The strikers said they are consuming only water with zero-calorie electrolyte powder.

From

Packed in my picnic basket beside my chair, Banana Cake joined me while watching sunsets on some of the most beautiful, sugar white, talcum powder soft beaches in the world.

From

I’ve got one of those bamboo whisks, and I like the whole routine of boiling water and then whisking in the matcha powder.

From

The chocolate digestive was launched about a quarter of a century after the plain variety, whose name was inspired by the belief that the baking powder in the recipe would help with digestion.

From

Under the watchful eye of doctors, Chris started by eating a fraction of a milligram of peanut powder mixed with yoghurt.

From

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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.

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