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

How immigration enforcement unfolded in Minnesota Minnesota became a global flash point of tensions over arrests and deportations. —Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026

Tipping remains a flash point for many. —Eric Thomas, Sun Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2026

But community members and lawmakers said video evidence called into question that narrative, and her death became a flash point in the debate over federal immigration enforcement. —Bayliss Wagner, San Antonio Express-News, 22 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

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