Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A small cask for holding gunpowder or other explosives.
  • noun A potentially explosive situation or thing.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A barrel containing gunpowder.
  • noun An explosive or otherwise volatile situation.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a potentially explosive state
  • noun keg (usually made of metal) for gunpowder or blasting powder

Etymologies

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Examples

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Comments

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  • My love is like a powder keg.

    My love is like a powder keg in the corner

    of an empty warehouse

    Somewhere just outside of town

    About to burn down

    ~The Mountain Goats

    February 13, 2007