powder

verb pow·der \ ˈpau̇-dər \

|Updated on: 6 Aug 2018

Examples: powder in a Sentence

Definition of powder

powdered; powdering play \ˈpau̇-d(ə-)riŋ\

transitive verb

1 : to sprinkle or cover with or as if with powder

2 : to reduce or convert to powder

3 : to hit very hard

intransitive verb

1 : to become powder

2 : to apply cosmetic powder

—

powderer

play \ˈpau̇-dər-ər\ noun

See powder defined for English-language learners

Examples of powder in a Sentence

She powdered her face and put on lipstick.
you have to powder the antibiotic tablet and mix it with food

Recent Examples of powder from the Web

The tariffs cover a wide variety of cheeses, including grated and powdered.

— dale kasler, sacbee, "How Trump's trade war is hurting California's largest agricultural sector," 8 June 2018
Image On a recent April morning, the developer Mark Gordon stood in a just-finished guest room in his Moxy Downtown hotel in Lower Manhattan, plaster dust powdering his black pants.

— jane margolies, New York Times, "Drawing a Younger Crowd to Lower Manhattan," 22 May 2018
Then, Cheng followed up the cream shadow with the Chanel Ombre Première Longwear Powder Eyeshadow In Poudre d’Or, a gold powdered shadow.

— devon abelman, Allure, "Yara Shahidi's Makeup Artist Reveals Her Body-Highlighting Secrets for the Met Gala 2018," 7 May 2018
Other seasonings used to in this dish are powdered rosemary and porcini powder.

— joanne kempinger demski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Spice savvy: These 7 trendy seasonings will add pizzazz to your cooking," 27 Feb. 2018
That year, more than 13 inches powdered the ground.

— San Antonio Express-News, "Snow and then: Photos from South Texas' memorable snowfalls," 9 Dec. 2017
Delish reports that a German consumer group found that the quantities of powdered skimmed milk in Nutella had increased from 7.5% to 8.7%, while the sugar content rose from 55.9% to 56.3%.

— meghan overdeep, Southern Living, "Alert! Nutella Changed Its Recipe," 8 Nov. 2017
Will China’s toilet revolution flush away the country’s reputation as an outmoded place to powder your nose?

— erin blakemore, Smithsonian, "China Will Transform 100,000 Toilets for the Sake of Tourism," 10 Jan. 2017
Then on fourth down, the Giants finally ran the ball up the middle – and went backward, with Orleans Darkwa getting his behind powdered by the entire Eagles defense.

— bob ford, Philly.com, "Doug Pederson calls a head-scratcher | Bob Ford," 24 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'powder.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of powder

14th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

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powder Synonyms

Synonyms

atomize, beat, comminute, crush, disintegrate, grind, mill, pound, pulverize;

Related Words

grate;

crumble, crunch;

break, bust, dash, fracture, fragment;

shatter, smash, splinter;

powder

noun, often attributive

Definition of powder

1 : matter in a finely divided state : particulate matter

2 a : a preparation in the form of fine particles especially for medicinal or cosmetic use

b : fine dry light snow

3 : any of various solid explosives used chiefly in gunnery and blasting

—

powderless

play \ˈpau̇-dər-ləs\ adjective

—

powderlike

play \ˈpau̇-dər-ˌlīk\ adjective

See powder defined for English-language learners

See powder defined for kids

Examples of powder in a Sentence

The powder is made from the roots of the plant.
Mix together the different powders.
She crushed the peppercorns into a fine powder.
We're running low on baby powder and diapers.
We woke this morning to several inches of fresh powder on the ground.

Recent Examples of powder from the Web

The counters are cluttered, strewn with all the ingredients required to sustain an addiction—spoons caked with powder, pipes, papers, cigarette butts.

— josie duffy rice, The Atlantic, "The Gospel According to Pusha T," 12 July 2018
In a bowl large enough to contain the steak, whisk together the salt, pepper and garlic powder.

— bryn mooth, Cincinnati.com, "Cooking with gas: Up your outdoor cooking game just in time for summer," 14 June 2018
Combine masa flour, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of an electric stand mixer.

— amanda garrity, Woman's Day, "Strawberry Tamales," 11 June 2018
Whisk flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl, making sure to get rid of any lumps of brown sugar.

— alison roman, The Cut, "Forget Engagement Chicken. Meet Breakup Steak.," 6 June 2018
The Mary Jane Brownie Yield: 24 brownies 4 cups all-purpose flour 3 cups granulated sugar 2 cups cocoa powder1 ½ teaspoon salt 1 Tbsp. baking powder 2 cups applesauce ½ cup agave 1 ½ cups sunflower oil 3 Tbsp.

— kathleen mulpeter, Health.com, "This Vegan Chocolate Brownie Is Made With CBD Oil," 20 Apr. 2018
The recipe on the inside, however, calls for not only sugar, flour, baking powder, and vanilla, but also butter and eggs, which are not permitted in a vegan diet.

— avery matera, Teen Vogue, "Topshop Sells a Vegan Shirt That Includes a Non-Vegan Recipe," 7 Mar. 2018
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.

— ruth kinane, EW.com, "Sweeten up Valentine's Day with this lovely cookie recipe by Elizabeth Chambers Hammer," 14 Feb. 2018
Olive oil or coconut oil cooking spray 3/4 cup gluten-free baking flour 1 cup water 1/2 teaspoon garlic powderSalt and pepper to taste 2 heads cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces 2 tablespoons butter 1/2 cup hot sauce 1 teaspoon honey 1.

— lauren delgado, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Celebrate all things buffalo for Super Bowl," 31 Jan. 2018

Origin and Etymology of powder

Middle English poudre, from Anglo-French pudre, podre, from Latin pulver-, pulvis dust; probably akin to Sanskrit palāva chaff

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Powder

geographical name Pow·der \ ˈpau̇-dər \

Definition of Powder

1 river 150 miles (241 kilometers) long in eastern Oregon flowing into the Snake River

2 river 375 miles (604 kilometers) long in northern Wyoming and southeastern Montana flowing north into the Yellowstone River

POWDER Defined for English Language Learners

powder

verb

Definition of powder for English Language Learners

: to put powder on (your face or body)

powder

noun

Definition of powder for English Language Learners

: a dry substance made up of very tiny pieces of something
: a very fine, dry substance that is put on your body or face especially to make it dry or less shiny
: snow that is very light and dry

POWDER Defined for Kids

powder

verb pow·der \ ˈpau̇-dər \

Definition of powder for Students

powdered; powdering

1 : to sprinkle or cover with or as if with fine particles of something

The cookies were powdered with sugar.

2 : to reduce or change to powder

powder

noun

Definition of powder for Students

1 : a dry substance made up of fine particles

The stone was crushed into powder.

2 : something (as a food, medicine, or cosmetic) made in or changed to the form of a powder

garlic powder

3 : gunpowder

Medical Dictionary

powder

noun pow·der \ ˈpau̇d-ər \

medical Definition of powder

: a product in the form of discrete usually fine particles; specifically : a medicine or medicated preparation in the form of a powder

antiseptic powder

digestive powder

Learn More about powder

See words that rhyme with powder Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for powder Spanish Central: Translation of powder Nglish: Translation of powder for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of powder for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about powder

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powder

Definition of powder

powderer

Examples of powder in a Sentence

Recent Examples of powder from the Web

First Known Use of powder

powder Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

powder

Definition of powder

powderless

powderlike

Examples of powder in a Sentence

Recent Examples of powder from the Web

Origin and Etymology of powder

Powder

Definition of Powder

Phrases Related to POWDER

Related Phrases

POWDER Defined for English Language Learners

powder

Definition of powder for English Language Learners

powder

Definition of powder for English Language Learners

POWDER Defined for Kids

powder

Definition of powder for Students

powder

Definition of powder for Students

Medical Dictionary

powder

medical Definition of powder

Learn More about powder

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