How to Use loose cannon in a Sentence

loose cannon

noun
  • Mitchell was a loose cannon aimed at men with plenty to hide.
    — Mark Peikert, Town & Country, 24 Apr. 2022
  • Lubesnik’s boss is one of those suits who hates loose cannons and talks about city hall being on his back.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 13 Feb. 2026
  • Cam’s a loose cannon, but in the most silly, glorious of ways.
    — Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 14 Oct. 2025
  • This is a restless day for you, because everything is a bit of a loose cannon.
    — Georgia Nicols, The Denver Post, 11 Feb. 2025
  • With a turncoat on the loose among the agents, time is of the essence to root out the loose cannon before they, ahem, fire.
    — Charlie Mason, TVLine, 16 Sep. 2024
  • The old loose cannon, as he's known in political circles, was back.
    — Lorraine Ali, latimes.com, 5 May 2018
  • On social media, the actress was often painted as a liar and a loose cannon.
    — Clare Malone, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
  • This is federal judge, John Adams, and he is known for being a bit of a loose cannon.
    — Laura Johnston, cleveland, 10 Mar. 2022
  • Is your husband a loose cannon, a drunk, a misogynist, a verbal abuser?
    — Dear Abby, oregonlive.com, 14 July 2019
  • Police everywhere should be angry that a loose cannon has been rehired.
    — Jonathan Edwards, Washington Post, 25 Apr. 2023
  • Giuliani, however, is a loose cannon, and is already struggling to keep his story straight.
    — Abigail Tracy, The Hive, 3 May 2018
  • Hal’s also a raging loose cannon, something we’re reminded of in the first lines of the season premiere.
    — Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Hernandez, who has long been a buff of Civil War history, is not a loose cannon.
    — Dom Amore, courant.com, 8 June 2018
  • 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
  • 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
  • That Draymond was the loose cannon on the Golden State Warriors.
    — Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 25 Sep. 2022
  • 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
  • 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
  • Linebacker Jack Campbell also was a loose cannon, in the middle of several fights.
    — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2024
  • Green’s big arm is a bit of a loose cannon, with 20 interceptions over his two seasons with the Razorbacks.
    — Joseph Person, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • Keaton plays a no-nonsense operative named Stan Hurley, who takes loose cannon Rapp under his wing.
    — Sandra Gonzalez, CNN, 15 Sep. 2017
  • Ings told Deadline of his enjoyment playing the loose cannon Lyonel, whose seeming nihilism masks a more soulful core.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 18 Jan. 2026
  • 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
  • Eisenberg wrote, directed, and stars in it, but the real awards potential is Culkin, whose performance of a good-natured loose cannon reveals hidden depths.
    — Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2024
  • 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

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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