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
Rick Telander
short-fused
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
The New York Times
Examples of short fuse in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
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
Cohen, known for having a notoriously short fuse, has yet to lose his cool on the stand and gave mild, one-word replies to the grilling.
—Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 14 May 2024
The territory belongs to a group of damselfish with a short fuse.
—Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
Indeed, Gates’ leadership in the early Microsoft days was defined by a short fuse.
—Jane Thier, Fortune, 9 Dec. 2023
However, Biden has such a short fuse, aides often try to avoid meeting with him one-on-one, according to Axios.
—David Matthews New York Daily News (tns), al, 12 July 2023
Elvis’s temper led to frightening moments The movie depicts Elvis’s short fuse, including a scene in which a playful pillow fight turns violent when Elvis — who relied on prescription meds like quaaludes to sleep and Dexedrine to wake up — gets aggressive.
—Eric Andersson, Peoplemag, 3 Nov. 2023
However, readers shouldn’t be too surprised by Isaacson’s insight into Musk’s personality—another biography on the billionaire has already pointed out Musk’s apparent short fuse.
—Byorianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 29 June 2023
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
Cohen, known for having a notoriously short fuse, has yet to lose his cool on the stand and gave mild, one-word replies to the grilling.
—Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 14 May 2024
The territory belongs to a group of damselfish with a short fuse.
—Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
Indeed, Gates’ leadership in the early Microsoft days was defined by a short fuse.
—Jane Thier, Fortune, 9 Dec. 2023
However, Biden has such a short fuse, aides often try to avoid meeting with him one-on-one, according to Axios.
—David Matthews New York Daily News (tns), al, 12 July 2023
Elvis’s temper led to frightening moments The movie depicts Elvis’s short fuse, including a scene in which a playful pillow fight turns violent when Elvis — who relied on prescription meds like quaaludes to sleep and Dexedrine to wake up — gets aggressive.
—Eric Andersson, Peoplemag, 3 Nov. 2023
However, readers shouldn’t be too surprised by Isaacson’s insight into Musk’s personality—another biography on the billionaire has already pointed out Musk’s apparent short fuse.
—Byorianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 29 June 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'short fuse.' 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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Cite this Entry
“Short fuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/short%20fuse. Accessed 3 Jul. 2024.
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