powder keg
Americannoun
-
a small, metal, barrellike container for gunpowder or blasting powder.
-
a potentially dangerous situation, especially one involving violent repercussions.
noun
-
a small barrel used to hold gunpowder
-
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
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
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
"It's a powder keg now and we need to get something done and we need the Home Office to listen," he added.
From BBC • Jul. 22, 2025
In other words, it was a black powder keg.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
Definitions 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.
