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 nutrition program became a flash point in the battle between lawmakers, resulting in an unprecedented disruption to payments and a litany of court rulings. —Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 12 Nov. 2025

Harris said that dynamic reflects how education has become a flash point for national politics. —Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 7 Nov. 2025

The already tense relations between Condé Nast and the union representing many of its editorial workers hit a new flash point this week. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 6 Nov. 2025

The high price of power became a flash point in this week's elections in both New Jersey and Virginia. —Scott Horsley, NPR, 6 Nov. 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