Meaning & use
powder
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
A dry substance made of many tiny loose grains, produced by crushing or grinding a solid.
Grammar: Uncountable for the material: add some powder; countable for kinds: baking powders.
Patterns
- a pinch of powder
- grind something into powder
Mix the powder with warm water until smooth.
The rock crumbled into a fine powder.
The chef stored three different powders on the shelf.
noununcountable
A fine cosmetic or medicinal dust that is put on skin, such as face powder or talcum powder.
Grammar: Usually uncountable: put on powder.
Patterns
- apply powder to something
- powder for something
She dabbed a little powder on her nose.
Baby powder helps prevent skin rubbing.
The makeup artist brushed powder across his forehead.
noununcountableinformal
Loose, light dry snow, especially good for skiing.
Grammar: Uncountable and informal: skiing in deep powder.
Patterns
- ski in powder
- fresh powder
Skiers rushed to the slopes after a fresh fall of powder.
The powder was knee deep on the mountain.
verbtransitive
To cover something lightly with a fine dust such as cosmetic powder, sugar or flour.
Grammar: Takes an object: she powdered the cake with sugar.
Patterns
- powder something with something
- powder your face
She powdered her face before the photograph.
He powdered the pastries with sugar.
The baker powdered the tray with flour to stop sticking.
Word forms
| plural | powders |
|---|---|
| third person singular | powders |
| past tense | powdered |
| -ing form | powdering |
Common combinations
- baking powder
- Add a teaspoon of baking powder to the flour.
- washing powder
- Use less washing powder for a small load.
- powder snow
- The resort promised deep powder snow.
- face powder
- Her face powder was a shade too light.
- crush into powder
- The monks crushed the herbs into powder.
- powdered sugar
- Dust the cake with powdered sugar.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dust
- Dust usually means unwanted fine dirt in the air or on surfaces, while powder is a purposeful dry substance.
- grains
- Grains are visible small bits, but powder is much finer and loose.
- flour
- Flour is a specific powder from grain, while powder is a general term.
- talc
- Talc is a specific soft mineral powder used on skin.
Opposites
Word family
- powdery adjective
- like powder, or covered with it
- powdered adjective
- made into or covered with powder
- powder room noun
- a polite word for a small toilet
- gunpowder noun
- an explosive powder
Commonly confused: powder or dust?
powder vs dust
Dust is usually unwanted dirt on surfaces, while powder is a substance made or used deliberately.
Practice
The recipe says to sift the ______ with the flour so the cake rises evenly.
Choose one answer.
Baking powder is the raising agent in cakes. The other powders are for cleaning, skin or explosives, none edible.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “powder”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.