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.

I can’t imagine being more of a loose cannon, or how you would navigate it without that grounding.

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026

Cunha has been linked with a big-money move over the past year with Europe's top clubs keen, but he may be viewed as a loose cannon because of his antics.

From BBC • Mar. 1, 2025

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