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

The Salvadoran national’s case has become a flash point in immigration debates after he was mistakenly deported last year and forcibly brought back. —Travis Loller, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026

Lebanon becomes the flash point The single biggest point of contention, and now the most violent, is Lebanon. —Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2026

In the years since, gun control has continued to be a flash point, but there have been moves in the right direction. —Kamye Hugley, Sun Sentinel, 22 Mar. 2026

Artificial intelligence — which has been a flash point among creatives in Hollywood — has also been a talking point among the academy and its members. —Rebecca Keegan, NBC news, 11 Mar. 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