black powder

noun

: an explosive mixture of potassium nitrate or sodium nitrate, charcoal, and sulfur used especially in fireworks and as a propellant in antique firearms compare gunpowder

Examples of black powder in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web On the last day of the fair, July 27, at noon, the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association will host a competition in which participants ride on horseback and shoot black powder blanks at balloons. —

Matt Hubbard, Baltimore Sun, 17 July 2024 So he’s been interested in the west pasture for a while, especially since one of his laborers found a weird rock nine months prior to the events of the show, reminiscent of both the hole and the black powder from Autumn’s necklace. —

Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 15 May 2024 The ashes are typically created from the palms used during Palm Sunday mass, where they’re burned and crushed into a fine black powder. —

Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 15 Feb. 2024 The explosion ignited a huge store of TNT black powder that was used for the ship's battery guns. —

Vanessa Romo, NPR, 3 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for black powder

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