powder keg
Americannoun
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a small, metal, barrellike container for gunpowder or blasting powder.
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a potentially dangerous situation, especially one involving violent repercussions.
noun
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a small barrel used to hold gunpowder
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informal a potential source or scene of violence, disaster, etc
Etymology
Origin of powder keg
First recorded in 1850–55
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It was a powder keg waiting to blow.
From Barron's ● Mar. 5, 2026
On Monday morning, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche described the situation as a "powder keg".
From BBC ● Jan. 26, 2026
I long recognized that the RSF was a powder keg.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 25, 2025
For Crudup, Timothy isn’t a bitter powder keg but a man looking for a little closure, someone who has made peace with the past until the moment he doesn’t get the apology he’s expecting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2025
I heard stomping on the back porch, and Tag came inside followed by a short man shaped like a powder keg.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
