loose cannon
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.89 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A cannon that breaks loose from its moorings on a ship during battle or storm, with the potential to cause serious damage to the ship and her crew.
noun
An uncontrolled or unpredictable person, especially considered liable to cause unintentional or indiscriminate damage.
Example Sentences
- "Jack is considered a loose cannon due to his volatile personality and his track record of being unable to maintain his composure."
- "Sooner or later this party gets busted and all your friends stumble back home But you're the loose cannon who could never be trusted so you'll hide from the cops all alone."
- "Even in MAGA circles, Loomer is regarded as a loose cannon who loves to get attention from inflammatory comments that undermine the Republican Party."
- "Gerald's loose cannoning triggered a volley of faithfully quoted media coverage which blasted a hole in his company's profits […]"