gunpowder

gunpowder — noun

1. A dry, dark mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and a chemical salt called saltpetre th

1.nounB2
Definition

A dry, dark mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and a chemical salt called saltpetre that burns extremely fast, creating a sudden blast of expanding gas; used inside bullets and bombs and to make fireworks explode.

Example

The Song dynasty used gunpowder in early weapons such as fire arrows and bombs.

collocation: used gunpowder in [weapon/device]

Leila carefully measured the gunpowder before sealing each firework tube.

collocation: measure the gunpowder

Common collocations
  • invent gunpowder
  • use gunpowder
  • make gunpowder
  • store gunpowder
  • smell of gunpowder
  • barrel of gunpowder
  • grain of gunpowder
  • gunpowder explosion
  • gunpowder trail
Synonyms
  • black powder

    The traditional name for the original form of gunpowder made from sulfur, charcoal, and saltpetre; often used by historians and hobbyists.

  • explosive

    Much broader category — any substance that can burst violently. Gunpowder is one type of explosive.

Grammar Patterns

gunpowder + verb (singular)

quantifier + of + gunpowder

Usage Note

Uncountable noun — never use 'a gunpowder' or 'gunpowders'. To refer to a specific quantity, use a measure phrase: a barrel of gunpowder, a bag of gunpowder, a pinch of gunpowder.

Common Mistakes

The soldier heard gunpowder in the distance.
The soldier heard gunfire in the distance.
gunpowder is the substance, not the sound or act of shooting.
He bought three gunpowders for his project.
He bought three bags of gunpowder for his project.
gunpowder is uncountable; use a container or measure noun.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Gunpowder is the oldest known chemical explosive — a slow-burning mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and saltpetre used since the 9th century in fireworks and early firearms. Black powder is essentially the same formula and is the traditional name for it. Dynamite is a much stronger 19th-century invention that uses nitroglycerin held in a clay-like filler; it shatters rock rather than pushing a bullet. TNT (trinitrotoluene) is a modern military explosive that does not explode by accident and delivers a far more powerful blast. In a sentence: 'The museum guard explained that gunpowder pushes the cannonball out, but dynamite is used to break up the mountain.'

explosive ↗dynamiteTNTblack powder

Common collocations

Nouns

  • gunpowder explosion
  • gunpowder trail
  • gunpowder barrel
  • gunpowder mill
  • gunpowder charge

Phrases

  • a grain of gunpowder
  • a barrel of gunpowder
  • the smell of gunpowder
  • the invention of gunpowder

Prepositions

  • with gunpowder (loaded with gunpowder)
  • of gunpowder (barrel of gunpowder / smell of gunpowder)
  • in gunpowder (dipped in gunpowder)

Etymology

GermanicOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word is a simple combination of 'gun' (a weapon that fires projectiles, from a Germanic root meaning 'war') and 'powder' (fine dust, from Old French 'poudre'). The mixture itself was first created by Chinese alchemists around the 9th century and reached Europe by the 13th century, where it transformed warfare, mining, and fireworks.