powder

powder — noun

1. a dry substance made of tiny loose pieces, often produced by crushing something.

1.nounB1
Definition

a dry substance made of tiny loose pieces, often produced by crushing something.

Example

The cook ground dried mushrooms into powder for the soup.

grind something into powder

A fine brown powder covered the table after the box fell.

a fine powder

Common collocations
  • fine powder
  • white powder
  • powder form
  • mix powder with water
  • grind into powder
Synonyms
  • dust

    usually lighter and often unwanted, not a prepared useful substance

  • granules

    larger and less fine than powder

  • flour

    a specific food powder, not a general word for fine particles

Grammar Patterns

grind something into powder

in powder form

a fine powder

Usage Note

Usually uncountable when you mean the substance in general, but countable when naming kinds such as washing powders or protein powders.

Common Mistakes

The stone became a powder.
The stone became powder.
When you mean the material itself, 'powder' is usually uncountable.

2. a very soft powder that people dust onto the face or body for appearance or skin

2.nounB2
Definition

a very soft powder that people dust onto the face or body for appearance or skin care.

Example

Nina brushed powder across her nose before the school play.

powder across + body part

The nurse shook medicated powder onto the baby's red skin.

medicated powder

Common collocations
  • face powder
  • medicated powder
  • foot powder
  • brush on powder
  • dust with powder
Synonyms
  • face powder

    more specific; only for the face, not general body or medical use

  • talc

    often used for body powder, especially baby or dusting powder

  • dusting powder

    a slightly more specific term for powder used on the skin

Grammar Patterns

face powder

foot powder

medicated powder

Usage Note

Mostly uncountable, especially for cosmetic use. Often named by purpose or body area, such as face powder, foot powder, or medicated powder.

Common Mistakes

She put a powder on her face.
She put powder on her face.
In this sense, 'powder' is usually uncountable.

3. snow that stays light and dry after falling, before it turns wet.

3.nounB2
Definition

snow that stays light and dry after falling, before it turns wet.

Example

Fresh powder covered the ski path after the night storm.

fresh powder

The board sank deep into powder near the quiet trees.

deep into powder

Common collocations
  • fresh powder
  • deep powder
  • soft powder
  • ski in powder
Synonyms
  • powder snow

    a fuller expression with almost the same meaning

  • dry snow

    a plain descriptive phrase, less tied to skiing

Antonyms
  • slush

    wet half-melted snow

Grammar Patterns

deep powder

fresh powder

ski in powder

Usage Note

Common in skiing and snowboarding. Often appears with deep, fresh, or soft, and usually describes snow conditions rather than one small pile.

Common Mistakes

The slope had many powders.
The slope had a lot of powder.
This snow sense is normally uncountable.

4. an explosive powder, such as gunpowder, burned inside guns, bombs, or firework t

4.nounC1
Definition

an explosive powder, such as gunpowder, burned inside guns, bombs, or firework tubes.

Example

Workers kept the powder in a locked stone storehouse.

the powder

The old cannon cannot fire without dry powder.

dry powder

Common collocations
  • dry powder
  • powder store
  • powder trail
  • set off the powder
Synonyms
  • gunpowder

    the most specific everyday term for this material

  • blasting powder

    used more for mining or demolition than for guns

  • propellant

    a more technical word for a material that drives something forward

Grammar Patterns

dry powder

powder store

powder trail

Usage Note

Usually historical or technical. Often refers to the explosive material in guns, fireworks, or blasting, not to an ordinary household powder.

Common Mistakes

The soldiers carried many powder.
The soldiers carried a lot of powder.
This explosive sense is usually uncountable.
Idioms

keep your powder dry

idiom

To stay prepared for a possible future problem or emergency.

Maya kept her powder dry by saving money every month.

The team kept their powder dry before the big competition.

take a powder

idiom

To leave a place quickly or secretly, often to avoid trouble.

When the police arrived, the thief took a powder.

Sara took a powder before anyone could ask her questions.

powder — verb

Word family

  • powdery
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For noun/1, powder is the general word for a dry material made of very small loose bits. Dust is often even finer and lighter, and it is usually unwanted on shelves, clothes, or roads. Flour is a specific food powder used in cooking, so it cannot replace powder for stone, soap, or medicine. Granules are larger and more separate, so coffee granules or sugar crystals do not feel as fine as powder. Use powder when the material spreads, mixes, or dissolves easily because the pieces are so small. Compare: The tablet was crushed into powder. A layer of dust lay on the shelf. Add two spoons of flour to the bowl.

dust ↗flour ↗granules

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Powder came into English through Old French from Latin roots meaning 'dust' or 'fine particles'. That history matches the word's central idea of something broken into very small dry bits.