Word.ws English Dictionary

keeps one's powder dry

keeps one's powder dry is the third-person singular simple present indicative of keep one's powder dry.

Meaning of keep one's powder dry

Verb

keep one's powder dry (third-person singular simple present keeps one's powder dry, present participle keeping one's powder dry, simple past and past participle kept one's powder dry)

  1. (idiomatic) To hold back on action until a future time; to save one's resources in case of emergency.
    • […]events now happening, which, beyond almost any set of circumstances which have arisen in our recent history, impose the necessity on Great Britain, at all events, of keeping her powder dry, and of keeping her resources in steadfast charge.1904, John Morley, Hansard

Questions about keeps one's powder dry

What is keeps one's powder dry the third-person singular simple present indicative of?
Keeps one's powder dry is the third-person singular simple present indicative of keep one's powder dry.

Words near keeps one's powder dry in the dictionary

  1. keeps one's nose clean
  2. keeps one's options open
  3. keeps one's own counsel
  4. keeps one's pants on
  5. keeps one's pecker up
  6. keeps one's powder dry
  7. keeps one's shirt on
  8. keeps one's side of the bargain
  9. keeps one's stick on the ice
  10. keeps one's temper
  11. keeps one's tits on

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: keeps one's powder dry (page history and authors); keep one's powder dry (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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