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
Nellie keeping things bottled up was a powder keg waiting to blow.
—
Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
This week’s incident was the spark many feared amid a growing powder keg of heightened activity by immigration authorities in Minneapolis and nationwide.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 10 Jan. 2026
In the update, Cumberbatch and Colman play a seemingly perfect husband and wife with the perfect family, but underneath the façade is a powder keg of resentment and fierce competition that eventually blows.
—Patrick Hipes, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2025
The entire country was a messianic powder keg.
—Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for powder keg
Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
This week’s incident was the spark many feared amid a growing powder keg of heightened activity by immigration authorities in Minneapolis and nationwide.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 10 Jan. 2026
In the update, Cumberbatch and Colman play a seemingly perfect husband and wife with the perfect family, but underneath the façade is a powder keg of resentment and fierce competition that eventually blows.
—Patrick Hipes, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2025
The entire country was a messianic powder keg.
—Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for powder keg
Recent Examples of Synonyms for powder keg
volcano
Noun
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Elsewhere in the trailer, chaos ensues, as Nate gets into a car accident, leading to the explosion of his daughter’s model volcano.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
2 Apr. 2026
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Other local highlights include exploring the small main village and taking a nighttime boat ride to see the glowing volcano.—
Elizabeth Heath,
Travel + Leisure,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Powder keg.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/powder%20keg. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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