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
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
Where Conrad and Maeve are volatile powder kegs ready to ignite a mob war, Kevin and Harry are more contained, tasked to keep operations running.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for powder keg
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
Where Conrad and Maeve are volatile powder kegs ready to ignite a mob war, Kevin and Harry are more contained, tasked to keep operations running.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for powder keg
Recent Examples of Synonyms for powder keg
volcano
Noun
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The devastation following the volcano’s famous eruption in 79 CE is well-documented across multiple archeological sites at Pompeii, Herculaneum, and elsewhere.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
16 July 2025
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Wetlands need restoration to once again catch phosphorus that pours from extinct volcanoes and prevent the growth of deadly algae.—
Shaun McKinnon,
AZCentral.com,
15 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Powder keg.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/powder%20keg. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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