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
Active volcanoes and lava fields nearby create a stunning landscape—but also mean you could be evacuated at a moment’s notice.
—
Maya Silver, Outside, 21 Oct. 2025
Making Mulch Volcanoes Landscaping services like to build mulch volcanoes around tree trunks, piling them higher and higher each year.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 21 Oct. 2025
These were samples collected from Greenland, Alexo in Canada's Abitibi belt and the Winnipegosis komatiite belt in Manitoba; Hawaii's Kama'ehuakanaloa and Mauna Loa volcanoes; and the Newberry volcano in the Cascade Range of the northwestern United States.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 20 Oct. 2025
Early Sunday on the same sparsely populated peninsula, the Krasheninnikov volcano spewed white ash clouds into the sky for the first time in hundreds of years.
—Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for volcano
Maya Silver, Outside, 21 Oct. 2025
Making Mulch Volcanoes Landscaping services like to build mulch volcanoes around tree trunks, piling them higher and higher each year.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 21 Oct. 2025
These were samples collected from Greenland, Alexo in Canada's Abitibi belt and the Winnipegosis komatiite belt in Manitoba; Hawaii's Kama'ehuakanaloa and Mauna Loa volcanoes; and the Newberry volcano in the Cascade Range of the northwestern United States.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 20 Oct. 2025
Early Sunday on the same sparsely populated peninsula, the Krasheninnikov volcano spewed white ash clouds into the sky for the first time in hundreds of years.
—Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for volcano
Recent Examples of Synonyms for volcano
Noun
-
Directed by Moses from a screenplay he co-wrote with Federico Sargentone and Katja Horvat, the film follows protagonist Ham, who wakes up with a time bomb on his chest.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
20 Oct. 2025
-
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
Noun
-
In the update, Cumberbatch and Colman play a seemingly perfect husband and wife with the perfect family, but underneath the façade is a powder keg of resentment and fierce competition that eventually blows.—
Patrick Hipes,
Deadline,
29 Oct. 2025
-
The entire country was a messianic powder keg.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 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 5 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share