as in time bomb
a potentially explosive place or situation
after months of tension the roommates' living situation was a volcano
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of volcano
Mexico’s Indigenous peoples, however, maintained respect for the woman, naming volcanoes, peaks and ceremonial dances after her.
—
Jason Ma, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2025
The island has been troubled by ash falls and lava flows since 1995, when the Soufriere Hills volcano erupted for the first time in hundreds of years.
—Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
Italy’s Campi Flegrei volcano is depicted in Greek and Roman mythology as the entrance to the underworld.
—NPR, 10 Oct. 2025
The Philippines is prone to natural disasters because of its location along the Ring of Fire, a 25,000-mile (40,000-kilometer) arc of seismic fault lines around the Pacific Ocean home to more than half of the world’s volcanoes, and regularly experiences powerful quakes.
—Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for volcano
Jason Ma, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2025
The island has been troubled by ash falls and lava flows since 1995, when the Soufriere Hills volcano erupted for the first time in hundreds of years.
—Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
Italy’s Campi Flegrei volcano is depicted in Greek and Roman mythology as the entrance to the underworld.
—NPR, 10 Oct. 2025
The Philippines is prone to natural disasters because of its location along the Ring of Fire, a 25,000-mile (40,000-kilometer) arc of seismic fault lines around the Pacific Ocean home to more than half of the world’s volcanoes, and regularly experiences powerful quakes.
—Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for volcano
Recent Examples of Synonyms for volcano
Noun
-
Ray’s most chaotic photograms—jumbles that push out of the frame or look like time bombs ready to explode—find echoes in his films, projected on the back walls, a show in themselves.—
Vince Aletti,
New Yorker,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Ignoring deforestation is a ticking time bomb for coffee companies, which stand to see production decrease and prices increase in an increasingly hot and dry world.—
Marianne Krasny,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The entire country was a messianic powder keg.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Sep. 2025
-
However, internal conflict between the brash younger generation and the old-school leadership threatens to set a match to this powder keg, which will sweep the Westies into the FBI’s ever-deepening investigation into the Italian mafia.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Nonetheless, migration has become a flash point.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Arrests are taking place all over the Chicago area, but some of the biggest flash points have occurred on the South and West Sides, which are home to many of the city’s largest Black and Latino communities.—
Geraldo Cadava,
New Yorker,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Volcano.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/volcano. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share