short fuse

noun

: a tendency to get angry easily : a quick temper

… was seen as the bad guy, the one whose short fuse was scary, destructive and uncontrollable.—

Rick Telander

short-fused

ˈshȯrt-ˌfyüzd

adjective

… a fiery and short-fused 30-year-old driver as well known for tantrums and bad behavior as he is for being the best rookie in history … —

The New York Times

Examples of short fuse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

The men, with their flaws—even kind, stalwart Atlas has a very short fuse, a yellow flag if not a red one—are far more interesting than Lily is. —

Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 7 Aug. 2024 Tania Johnson) Bomb squad technician Tania Johnson has a short fuse but a caring spark in her eye. —

EW.com, 29 June 2024 Luckily for his fellow emotions, Anger's head turns into a giant flame whenever his short fuse is lit, which comes in handy when trying to do things like cut through glass. —

EW.com, 13 June 2024 West’s mother was a demanding perfectionist, and his father, although a gregarious, outgoing man, had a short fuse and was a firm believer in corporal punishment. —

Mike Kupper, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for short fuse