time bomb

noun

1

: a bomb so made as to explode at a predetermined time

2

: something with a potentially dangerous or detrimental delayed reaction

Synonyms of time bomb

• volcano

Examples of time bomb in a Sentence

He's a time bomb getting ready to explode.

If we don't do something about the pollution problem, we'll be sitting on a ticking time bomb.

Recent Examples on the Web

As Hedda Gabler warned, bored women are time bombs whose agitation puts everyone at risk. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026

His lacerating wit spares no member of his staff—a mix of true incompetents, off-putting savants, ticking time bombs, and onetime offenders prematurely consigned to professional purgatory. — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026

These privileged few will be sitting on a time bomb of their own making, similar to that faced by political and economic elites during the waning years of the Ming dynasty. — Carl Minzner, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026

Blood streamed through his veins, pulsing inside him, like a ticking time bomb. — Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1893, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for time bomb

• diatom
• intercom
• aplomb
• balaam
• begam
• cocom
• embalm
• islam
• pogrom
• salaam
• sitcom
• balm