as in volcano
a potentially explosive place or situation
the immigration bill has become a political powder keg for legislators on both sides of the aisle
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Recent Examples of powder keg
They are being thrust involuntarily into a powder keg.
—
State Rep. Matt Blumenthal, Hartford Courant, 13 June 2025
Eddington, Ari Aster’s latest, is a nouveau western, which follows the clash between a small-town Sheriff in New Mexico (Phoenix) and a mayor (Pascal) during Covid when powder keg socio-political issues were ramping up during the first President Donald Trump term.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 3 July 2025
The rift between Carlson and Cruz demonstrates that even among President Trump’s biggest supporters, there’s been considerable debate about how the U.S. should deal with the powder keg situation that escalated Friday when Israel launched airstrikes against Iran’s nuclear and military facilities.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 18 June 2025
But 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.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for powder keg
State Rep. Matt Blumenthal, Hartford Courant, 13 June 2025
Eddington, Ari Aster’s latest, is a nouveau western, which follows the clash between a small-town Sheriff in New Mexico (Phoenix) and a mayor (Pascal) during Covid when powder keg socio-political issues were ramping up during the first President Donald Trump term.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 3 July 2025
The rift between Carlson and Cruz demonstrates that even among President Trump’s biggest supporters, there’s been considerable debate about how the U.S. should deal with the powder keg situation that escalated Friday when Israel launched airstrikes against Iran’s nuclear and military facilities.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 18 June 2025
But 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.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for powder keg
Recent Examples of Synonyms for powder keg
volcano
Noun
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Excellent guide/driver combos take guests off-roading on geological Big 5 safari drives to see salt flats, geysers at 14,000 feet, canyons and dunes that rival Jordan and Utah, and a string of volcanoes that make this part of Chile one of the most active sites in the world.—
Laura Dannen Redman,
Robb Report,
28 July 2025
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Iceland Iceland offers one of the most photogenic landscapes on Earth — including waterfalls, volcanoes and geothermal spas — and boasts the longest totality on land, at 2 minutes, 13.7 seconds.—
Jamie Carter,
Space.com,
21 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Powder keg.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/powder%20keg. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
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