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

Another blow in a broader battle The Kansas law is a flash point in the ongoing battle across the country for legal recognition of trans and nonbinary people’s existence. —Noelle Martin, The Conversation, 1 Mar. 2026

This year, the island is a flash point once again. —Vivian Salama, The Atlantic, 1 Mar. 2026

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

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