powder keg
noun
1
: a small usually metal cask for holding gunpowder or blasting powder
2
: something liable to explode
Examples of powder keg in a Sentence
Political instability has made the region a powder keg.
the immigration bill has become a political powder keg for legislators on both sides of the aisle
Recent Examples on the Web
Trump ‘packed the powder keg’ Officials acknowledged people in Connecticut had taken into custody by ICE.
—
Katy Golvala, Hartford Courant, 12 June 2025
However, internal conflict between the brash younger generation and the old-school leadership threatens to set a match to this powder keg, which will sweep the Westies into the FBI’s ever-deepening investigation into the Italian mafia.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 11 June 2025
In May of 2020, a standoff between a small-town sheriff (Joaquin Phoenix) and mayor (Pedro Pascal) sparks a powder keg as neighbor is pitted against neighbor in Eddington, New Mexico.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 June 2025
The powder keg situation in the town is stoked primarily by the upsurge in Black Lives Matter protests in the wake of George Floyd’s murder by a white Minneapolis cop.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for powder keg
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Katy Golvala, Hartford Courant, 12 June 2025
However, internal conflict between the brash younger generation and the old-school leadership threatens to set a match to this powder keg, which will sweep the Westies into the FBI’s ever-deepening investigation into the Italian mafia.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 11 June 2025
In May of 2020, a standoff between a small-town sheriff (Joaquin Phoenix) and mayor (Pedro Pascal) sparks a powder keg as neighbor is pitted against neighbor in Eddington, New Mexico.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 June 2025
The powder keg situation in the town is stoked primarily by the upsurge in Black Lives Matter protests in the wake of George Floyd’s murder by a white Minneapolis cop.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for powder keg
Cite this Entry
“Powder keg.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/powder%20keg. Accessed 20 Jun. 2025.
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