as in volcanoes
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 kegs
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
Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 13 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for powder kegs
volcanoes
Noun
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Filmmaker Sara Dosa is going from the molten to the melting, from fiery volcanoes to dissolving glaciers.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
20 Mar. 2026
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El Niño cycles So scientists went digging for answers to the mystery heat, tapping ideas from volcanoes to the sun to the clouds floating overhead.—
Lauren Sommer,
NPR,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Powder kegs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/powder%20kegs. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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