How to Use loose cannon in a Sentence

loose cannon

noun
Definition of loose cannonnext
  • At the same time, Musk can be a loose cannon on these calls.
    — Chris Isidore, CNN, 20 Apr. 2022
  • Mitchell was a loose cannon aimed at men with plenty to hide.
    — Mark Peikert, Town & Country, 24 Apr. 2022
  • That Draymond was the loose cannon on the Golden State Warriors.
    — Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 25 Sep. 2022
  • This is federal judge, John Adams, and he is known for being a bit of a loose cannon.
    — Laura Johnston, cleveland, 10 Mar. 2022
  • The old loose cannon, as he's known in political circles, was back.
    — Lorraine Ali, latimes.com, 5 May 2018
  • Banier was a loose cannon, liable to bring up the awkward subject in the presence of Meyers’s wife, his children, and his in‑laws.
    — Tom Sancton, Time, 5 Sep. 2017
  • Hernandez, who has long been a buff of Civil War history, is not a loose cannon.
    — Dom Amore, courant.com, 8 June 2018
  • Is your husband a loose cannon, a drunk, a misogynist, a verbal abuser?
    — Dear Abby, oregonlive.com, 14 July 2019
  • Whereas Locken was once a lovable loose cannon on the first three seasons, the fourth season turned her into a villain.
    — Sarah Blaskovich, Dallas News, 26 Feb. 2020
  • Think … maybe not Vontaze Burfict but someone who’s a loose cannon taking a kid under his wing.
    — Usa Today Sports, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2020
  • Giuliani, however, is a loose cannon, and is already struggling to keep his story straight.
    — Abigail Tracy, The Hive, 3 May 2018
  • Martin Riggs, the loose cannon with revenge on his mind, and Roger Murtaugh, the older, wiser man of the force, counting the days until retirement.
    — Kayt Sukel, Discover Magazine, 27 July 2016
  • Last but certainly not least, Twitter is about to become a debt-laden business belonging to the world’s richest loose cannon.
    — Laura Forman, WSJ, 27 Apr. 2022
  • Isaac is a crude loose cannon who represents the biggest threat of actual danger among the ensemble.
    — Rebecca Sun, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Apr. 2023
  • Police everywhere should be angry that a loose cannon has been rehired.
    — Jonathan Edwards, Washington Post, 25 Apr. 2023
  • The new season will kick off with a two-hour look at the life of Brian Pillman, a high-flying wrestler on the rise and 'loose cannon' who allowed his in ring persona to seep into his family life.
    — Nasha Smith, Forbes, 6 May 2021
  • Keaton plays a no-nonsense operative named Stan Hurley, who takes loose cannon Rapp under his wing.
    — Sandra Gonzalez, CNN, 15 Sep. 2017
  • What’s actually going to happen is impossible to say, especially with the loose cannon in the White House in the mix.
    — Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, 15 Oct. 2017
  • Francis has always been anticipated to be a bit of a loose cannon on the stand because of his intimate knowledge of events, axe to grind with the Navy and braggadocios air.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 May 2022
  • This new silent-but-deadly Teddy is yet another loose cannon on a show about an entire cast of characters going rogue.
    — William Lee, chicagotribune.com, 4 June 2018
  • On top of that, Trump has to placate elite Republicans who see him as a loose cannon who can’t be relied upon to deliver a pro-business agenda.
    — Reihan Salam, Slate Magazine, 15 Feb. 2017
  • In a similar way to Nobody, Jason Statham is the loose cannon with a mysterious past who joins an armored truck company.
    — Katherine J Igoe, Marie Claire, 30 Sep. 2021
  • Already identified as the loose cannon, Fred starts picking fights with Charlie about his devout faith, then learns it’s unwise to blaspheme to a Christian who makes your beans every night.
    — John Defore, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Sep. 2022
  • In other words, when women act aggressively, they are seen as loose cannons, while men look passionate and continue to get work.
    — Jessica Wakeman, Glamour, 4 Sep. 2018
  • Daryl, who has been aimless for several seasons and who, lately, has become an increasingly loose cannon, could be a marked man.
    — Laura Bradley, HWD, 4 Dec. 2017
  • After getting a whole season of ratings fireworks from its resident loose cannon, the network finally drew the line.
    — Karla Peterson, sandiegouniontribune.com, 29 May 2018
  • Marty is well aware of how the people around him have changed; Wendy is basically ruthless at this point, while Jonah is kind of a loose cannon financial criminal.
    — Evan Romano, Men's Health, 23 Jan. 2022
  • Lily Allen is a delightful loose cannon, minded by Jonathan Ross but still managing to insult Radiohead.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 1 Jan. 2022
  • His best friend, Miles (Casal), is a classic loose cannon whose white working-class status gives him similar economic pressures but more room to behave as an angry wild card than Collin.
    — Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 1 June 2018
  • This flag-planting, trash-talking loose cannon has turned down the turnovers, but has not transformed into a cookie-cutter quarterback who will say exactly nothing at the podium.
    — New York Times, 7 Nov. 2021

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'loose cannon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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