Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

flash point

noun

Definition of flash point

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
3 :tinderbox 2

See flash point defined for English-language learners

Explore Merriam-Webster

one-green-toy-robot-amidst-many-red-toy-robots
The Exceptions Quiz III
alt-59e8af1b31525
Trending: NY Times: Trump's Call Ignites 'Imbroglio'
tycoon
17 English Words that Come From Japanese
video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Examples of flash point in a Sentence

  1. The city became a flash point as political tensions grew.

  2. The situation reached a flash point when union leaders urged the workers to protest.

First Known Use of flash point

1878

flash point Synonyms

Synonyms
tinderbox, powder keg, time bomb, volcano
Related Words
hot button, third rail

FLASH POINT Defined for English Language Learners

flash point

noun

Definition of flash point for English Language Learners

  • : a point, place, or situation in which sudden anger or violence could happen

Learn More about flash point

  1. See words that rhyme with flash point Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for flash point Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about flash point

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up flash point? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

nuncupative

play

spoken rather than written

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. imbroglio "a public scandal"

  2. spurious of a deceitful nature or quality

  3. righteous We provide an assortment of definitions

  4. Kafkaesque 'A nightmarish quality'

  5. mike "microphone"

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

The Exceptions Quiz III

  • one-green-toy-robot-amidst-many-red-toy-robots
  • Which of these words does not mean "nonsense"?
True or False

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-59ea52ed7b96f
Learned Fools: On Names for Students

Where did we get 'freshman' and 'sophomore'?

alt-59e900afadac6
The Synonyms 'Discover' and 'Invent'

In the past, you could invent fruit.

alt-59e8c3440f453
I'll Have the Us(ual)

Shortening 'usual': easy to say, hard to spell

alt-59e77dc36c593
The Origins of 'Lobbyist'

From the front hallways to the back rooms

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

one-green-toy-robot-amidst-many-red-toy-robots
The Exceptions Quiz III

Which of these things doesn't belong?

Take the quiz
knupfer-painting-solon-before-croesus
Forms of Government Quiz

Name that government! Or something like that.

Take the quiz
True or False
True or False?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

Take the quiz
SCRABBLE® Sprint
SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game
Examples: flash point in a Sentence