Definition of flashover
1 : an abnormal electrical discharge (as through the air to the ground from a high potential source or between two conducting portions of a structure)
2 : the sudden spread of flame over an area when it becomes heated to the flash point
Keep scrolling for more
Test Your Vocabulary
Words of Snow and Ice Quiz
- Which of the following refers to thin, bending ice, or to the act of running over such ice?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Anagram puzzles meet word search.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
Words of Snow and Ice Quiz
A selection of words from the chillier parts of t...
Take the quizName that Thing: Toys and Games Edition
It's all fun and games until someone beats your h...
Take the quizTrue or False?
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something a...
Take the quizSCRABBLE® Sprint
SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!
Play the game
Share flashover
Time Traveler for flashover
The first known use of flashover was in 1892
See more words from the same year