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gunpowder

American  
[guhn-pou-der] / ˈgʌnˌpaʊ dər /

noun

  1. an explosive mixture, as of potassium nitrate, sulfur, and charcoal, used in shells and cartridges, in fireworks, for blasting, etc.

  2. Also called gunpowder tea.  a fine variety of green China tea, each leaf of which is rolled into a little ball.

gunpowder British  
/ ˈɡʌnˌpaʊdə /

noun

  1. Also called: black powder.  an explosive mixture of potassium nitrate, charcoal, and sulphur (typical proportions are 75:15:10): used in time fuses, blasting, and fireworks

"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

Other Word Forms

  • gunpowdery adjective

Etymology

Origin of gunpowder

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; gun 1, powder 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

When gunpowder arrived and the emerging nation-states rendered obsolete the old art of war dominated by feudal lords entrenched in their castles.

From The Wall Street Journal

Trust Glenn to have an ounce of gunpowder on his person, just in case.

From Literature

One Tehran local told the BBC that the city had been turned into a "ghost town" with empty streets and a lingering smell of gunpowder.

From BBC

The sharp smell of gunpowder immediately made my lungs tighten.

From Literature

They likened AI’s potential to transform the military to gunpowder, a technology invented in China but more effectively weaponized, many in China believe, by others.

From The Wall Street Journal

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.