powder keg

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

In 1768 King George III filled Boston with armed troops, creating a powder keg; in two years the spark of a single rifle shot would explode the Boston Massacre.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

On Monday morning, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche described the situation as a "powder keg".

From BBC • Jan. 26, 2026

Dahlia Lithwick: I find the public-facing discourse around shootings to be impoverished, dangerous, and a powder keg on its own terms.

From Slate • Sep. 12, 2025

The federalist fervor, which the exiles had pictured as a powder keg about to explode, had dissolved into a vague electoral illusion.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez