flash point
noun
1
: the lowest temperature at which vapors above a volatile combustible substance ignite in air when exposed to flame
2
: a point at which someone or something bursts suddenly into action or being
But the feud between the two men reached another flash point …—
Richard Lacayo
Richard Lacayo3
: tinderbox sense 2
The city became a flash point as tensions grew.
Examples of flash point in a Sentence
The city became a flash point as political tensions grew.
The situation reached a flash point when union leaders urged the workers to protest.
Recent Examples on the Web
Concerns about Merriam represent the latest flash point in a long-running debate about the power imbalance between federal judges and the often young clerks who work for them.
—Carrie Johnson, NPR, 30 Dec. 2025
The flash point was the inclusion in Web.
—Louis Menand, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
But as expiring ObamaCare subsidies have become a major flash point that Democrats aim to use in the midterm elections, many Republicans hope to use reconciliation to address health care.
—Emily Brooks, The Hill, 14 Dec. 2025
The 2026 World Cup is shaping up to be a flash point moment in modern international relations, with the world coming to North America at a time when global peace appears delicate.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 10 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flash point
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Carrie Johnson, NPR, 30 Dec. 2025
The flash point was the inclusion in Web.
—Louis Menand, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
But as expiring ObamaCare subsidies have become a major flash point that Democrats aim to use in the midterm elections, many Republicans hope to use reconciliation to address health care.
—Emily Brooks, The Hill, 14 Dec. 2025
The 2026 World Cup is shaping up to be a flash point moment in modern international relations, with the world coming to North America at a time when global peace appears delicate.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 10 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flash point
Cite this Entry
“Flash point.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flash%20point. Accessed 6 Jan. 2026.
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