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
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
One flash point was Carpenter’s ad campaign for Skims, the clothing company owned by Swift’s bitter rival, Kim Kardashian.
—
Thania Garcia, Variety, 6 Aug. 2024
Incidents of police use of force have been a flash point in the past — most notably in 2011, when the shooting of a Black man, Mark Duggan, in London sparked riots that were described as the United Kingdom’s worst civil unrest in a generation.
—Adela Suliman, Washington Post, 26 July 2024
Recommended The Monitor's View Joy breaks into the Olympics
The Subi Reef, another flash point, sits even closer to Thitu.
—Lorela U. Sandoval, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 July 2024
The Games also fed into culture war flash points in the U.S. and abroad, including a conservative Christian backlash to a drag performance during the opening ceremony and a furor over the gender identity and competition eligibility of two female boxers.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 11 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for flash point 
Thania Garcia, Variety, 6 Aug. 2024
Incidents of police use of force have been a flash point in the past — most notably in 2011, when the shooting of a Black man, Mark Duggan, in London sparked riots that were described as the United Kingdom’s worst civil unrest in a generation.
—Adela Suliman, Washington Post, 26 July 2024
Recommended The Monitor's View Joy breaks into the Olympics
The Subi Reef, another flash point, sits even closer to Thitu.
—Lorela U. Sandoval, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 July 2024
The Games also fed into culture war flash points in the U.S. and abroad, including a conservative Christian backlash to a drag performance during the opening ceremony and a furor over the gender identity and competition eligibility of two female boxers.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 11 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for flash point
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flash point.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near flash point
Cite this Entry
“Flash point.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flash%20point. Accessed 19 Sep. 2024.
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