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

3

: tinderbox sense 2

The city became a flash point as tensions grew.

Synonyms of flash point

• volcano
• time bomb

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

California’s grand vision for a bullet train, originally to connect San Francisco to Los Angeles, has become a flash point in national politics. —Taryn Luna, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026

The current contentious state of NCAA eligibility in college athletics has another courtroom flash point looming. —Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2026

The incident became a flash point in ongoing debates over whether immigration officials had gone too far in detaining a young boy. —Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 6 Feb. 2026

Minneapolis has become a flash point for clashes between federal immigration enforcement agents and agitators, particularly after the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. —Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 6 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1878, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for flash point

• adjoint
• anoint
• appoint
• checkpoint
• conjoint
• disjoint
• endpoint
• gunpoint
• midpoint
• nonpoint
• pinpoint
• standpoint