take a powder
idiomatic phrase
US, informal + somewhat old-fashioned
: to leave hurriedly
It is the players and incoming recruits who are most affected when a coach abruptly takes a powder.—
Jack McCallum
Jack McCallumThe beavers put up with this, Fair explains, until the surrounding population reached 250 families, and then the beavers took a powder.—Gregory Jaynes
Gregory JaynesThis is the worst extinction phase the planet has experienced since dinosaurs took a powder about 65 million years ago.—The Lompoc (California) Record
The Lompoc (California) RecordExamples of take a powder in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Getting the benefits of whey protein can mean taking a powder daily or close to it, and that can be costly.
—Melissa Nieves, Verywell Health, 20 June 2024
Melissa Nieves, Verywell Health, 20 June 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'take a powder.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near take a powder
Cite this Entry
“Take a powder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20a%20powder. Accessed 14 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share