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
Or, perhaps even more likely, Iran devolves into a morass, a chaotic power struggle that destabilizes the entire powder keg of a region.
—
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 1 Mar. 2026
There are several other emotional powder kegs that need one little spark, and those babies are going all the way off.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 13 Feb. 2026
This lack of accountability creates a powder keg.
—Joshua Simmons, Sun Sentinel, 11 Feb. 2026
Nellie keeping things bottled up was a powder keg waiting to blow.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for powder keg
The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 1 Mar. 2026
There are several other emotional powder kegs that need one little spark, and those babies are going all the way off.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 13 Feb. 2026
This lack of accountability creates a powder keg.
—Joshua Simmons, Sun Sentinel, 11 Feb. 2026
Nellie keeping things bottled up was a powder keg waiting to blow.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for powder keg
Recent Examples of Synonyms for powder keg
volcano
Noun
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Is this the first study proposing volcanoes affected the AMOC?—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
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After checking in, change into your bathing suit and head straight to the main pool which features a swim-up bar that perfectly frames the volcano—nothing will taste as good as that first piña colada after a long travel day.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Powder keg.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/powder%20keg. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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