gunpowder

noun

gun·​pow·​der ˈgən-ˌpau̇-dər How to pronounce gunpowder (audio)
: an explosive mixture of potassium nitrate, charcoal, and sulfur used in gunnery and blasting
broadly : any of various powders used in guns as propelling charges

Examples of gunpowder in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Appetizer choices include chicken malai tikka, gunpowder calamari and palak patta chaat. Georgann Yara, The Arizona Republic, 13 Feb. 2024 Union soldiers also tossed thousands of Confederate weapons and supplies into the river, including sabers, bayonets, tents, backpacks, ball cartridges and gunpowder, according to Live Science’s Kristina Killgrove. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Nov. 2023 There was shelling and shooting nearby, and the smell of death and gunpowder hung in the air. Loay Ayyoub, Washington Post, 18 Nov. 2023 Like regular indoor ranges, shooting trailers require regular cleaning to prevent a dangerous buildup of lead and gunpowder. Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2023 Company members fired their muskets, letting the scent of gunpowder mix with the smell of wet pavement. Daniel Kool, BostonGlobe.com, 4 July 2023 Turns out, the moon's odor is reminiscent of gunpowder and some comets give off the pungent aroma of urine. Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 11 Jan. 2024 Previous gunpowder projectiles—such as seventeenth-century grenades or Orsini bombs, the spiky explosives used by anarchists in the nineteenth century—were finicky and heavy. Audrey Kurth Cronin, Foreign Affairs, 22 Nov. 2023 His paintings, books, photographs, films, and works on paper — made with ingredients as disparate as gunpowder, sulfuric acid, chocolate, urine, Pepto-Bismol, tobacco, and rose petals — could only come from someone who embodies L.A.’s glamour and chaos, its self-consciousness and banal hopes. Vulture, 8 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gunpowder.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gunpowder was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near gunpowder

Cite this Entry

“Gunpowder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gunpowder. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

gunpowder

noun
gun·​pow·​der -ˌpau̇d-ər How to pronounce gunpowder (audio)
: an explosive mixture used in guns and blasting

More from Merriam-Webster on gunpowder

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