powder kegs

plural of powder keg
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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for powder kegs
volcanoes
Noun
  • Earth’s moon—which also has the advantage of being 50 percent larger than Pluto and of having volcanoes that once spewed actual lava instead of mere water—fully deserves planethood by these very same metrics.
    Mike Brown, Scientific American, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Conclusion Earth’s supereruptions remain unmatched in terms of the total material released, while Io’s volcanoes produce plumes that rise hundreds of miles above its surface.
    Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 22 Aug. 2026

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“Powder kegs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/powder%20kegs. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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