loose cannon

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.

Some of the grapevine talk has gotten back to her — how she’s a loose cannon or stirring the pot to cover up for complaints accusing her of misconduct.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 14, 2024

Door staff and witnesses told the trial that O'Pray had been a "loose cannon" and was "very erratic" that night.

From BBC • Jul. 21, 2023

Nixon and Kissinger saw him as a loose cannon, and they wondered whether he was divulging these secrets, possibly to foreign agents.

From Slate • Jun. 16, 2023

I say this to you a self-identified loose cannon — it is actually very empowering to just make a deal with yourself about your limits.

From Salon • Nov. 24, 2022

Forty years old, with a thick mustache and the posture of a flagpole, Liddy was known around Washington as intelligent, fiercely loyal, and something of a loose cannon.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin