dry powder

[ drahy pou-der ]

noun

1. cash reserves, liquid assets, or easily liquidated assets such as readily saleable stocks and bonds, held by a corporation or an individual in order to cover current or future obligations, make new purchases, or take advantage of unforeseen opportunities:

   Stick with small investments for now, but keep some dry powder on hand in case we start to see this industry grow stronger.

2. powder ¹( def 3 ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of dry powder¹

First recorded in 2000–05 dry powder fordef 1

Example Sentences

“Democrats this cycle … are sort of saving their dry powder for the presidential race, or see just how close the Senate races are,” Rahman said.

From Los Angeles Times

They make fancy imprints or designs in the dry powder.

From Seattle Times

It begins to soak into the dry powder just below the surface.

From Seattle Times

“I could imagine a load of private equity funds with very little prospects sitting on a bunch of dry powder saying, ’Hey, we’ll lend you $300 million,’” Columbia law school professor Eric Talley said, adding, “I can imagine the Saudis lending him $300 million.”

From Seattle Times

“If you’re working with a dry powder pigment, using water would just turn it into paint,” said Supervisory Conservator Amy Lubick.

From Seattle Times