potassium nitrate

noun

: a crystalline salt KNO₃ that occurs as a product of nitrification in arable soils, is a strong oxidizer, and is used especially in making gunpowder, as a fertilizer, and in medicine

Examples of potassium nitrate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Chemists became more creative, adding in sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate. —Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 3 July 2025

Alternative ingredients like fluoride and potassium nitrate may be gentler on sensitive teeth and gums.19 Purple color-correcting toothpastes have also become popular. —Cristina Mutchler, Health, 27 Mar. 2025

The solution was filtered, purified and crystallized into usable potassium nitrate before being transported to gunpowder mills. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025

In the 19th century, bat guano was mined from American caves to extract nitrates, which were chemically refined into potassium nitrate (saltpeter), a key component of gunpowder. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for potassium nitrate

• borosilicate
• decontaminate
• deoxycholate
• deteriorate
• differentiate
• diisocyanate
• dinoflagellate
• excommunicate
• incapacitate
• insubordinate
• intercorporate
• interpenetrate

Kids Definition

potassium nitrate

noun

: a salt used in making gunpowder, as a fertilizer, and in medicine

Medical Definition

potassium nitrate

noun

: a crystalline salt KNO₃ that is a strong oxidizing agent and is used in medicine chiefly as a diuretic

called also niter, saltpeter