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

As my colleagues Seema Mehta and Caroline Petrow-Cohen report, the measure has the potential to become a political flash point. —Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026

Another potential flash point in the relationship between Menin and Mamdani is Israel’s war in Gaza. —Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 7 Jan. 2026

Beyond that flash point, depictions of the fires have been limited. —Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 6 Jan. 2026

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

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