1
as in volcano
a potentially explosive place or situation
that troubled region remains one of the world's most dangerous flash points
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2
as in crisis
a time or state of affairs requiring prompt or decisive action
tensions between the two longtime adversaries were at a flash point
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flash point
Abrego Garcia became a flash point over President Trump’s immigration policies when he was deported in March to a notorious megaprison in El Salvador.
—
Michael Kunzelman, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2025
Abrego Garcia was living in Maryland when he was mistakenly deported and became a flash point in President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.
—arkansasonline.com, 4 July 2025
The Vance meme has become a political flash point in itself.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 2 July 2025
And there are many potential flash points in Asia, including in the Korean Peninsula, the Taiwan Strait, and the South China Sea.
—Yuen Foong Khong, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for flash point
Michael Kunzelman, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2025
Abrego Garcia was living in Maryland when he was mistakenly deported and became a flash point in President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.
—arkansasonline.com, 4 July 2025
The Vance meme has become a political flash point in itself.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 2 July 2025
And there are many potential flash points in Asia, including in the Korean Peninsula, the Taiwan Strait, and the South China Sea.
—Yuen Foong Khong, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for flash point
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flash point
Noun
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The helicopter then lands inside the canyon, where participants start their epic journey on the river to the infamous Eyjafjallajökull volcano, past glaciers, waterfalls, and basalt columns.—
Mia Taylor,
Boston Herald,
7 Sep. 2025
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Joan and her dad are both convinced the world is going to end when that volcano erupts, but only one of them is willing to put themselves on the line in order to stop it.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Vietnam's crisis is not yet as severe as Singapore's or some of East Asia's lowest-fertility states, but the trend line is moving in the same direction.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
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Today @FBIDirectorKash was in Cincinnati to announce charges in an operation targeting the fentanyl crisis.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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For much of the film, that enticing idea undergirds the main plot line like a ticking time bomb.—
Gregory Nussen,
Deadline,
3 Sep. 2025
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The insurance and housing sectors are scrambling to try to get ahead of this ticking time bomb.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Only, his side of the story suggests that this summer was the boiling point of a longer game, dating back to last summer when contract promises were reneged upon.—
Harry De Cosemo,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
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That was the boiling point for the Cowboys.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Be sure to cover your head and neck with your arms, and crawl under a sturdy table if possible.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
4 Sep. 2025
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Several of President Donald Trump‘s firings of independent agency heads have made their way through the Supreme Court‘s emergency docket, but Tuesday’s ruling in a federal appeals court likely moves the justices closer to overturning a 90-year precedent on the issue.—
Jack Birle,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In episode five, that difficulty adjusting is evident and reaches a breaking point.—
Lexy Perez,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Aug. 2025
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By 2016, the backlash had reached a breaking point, and NBC quietly stopped producing the series, per KQED.—
Emily Blackwood,
People.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Noun
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August is on pace to be the Yankees' worst month, and with two teams, the Cleveland Guardians and the Texas Rangers, within three games of the final spot, the Yankees are entering crunch time.—
Hunter Mulholland,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Aug. 2025
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But a series of lousy draft picks and a lack of an attractive infrastructure — that imaginary permanent practice facility is being built any day now! — have kept them from acquiring the sort of superstars that carry teams in crunch time, the kind of difference-makers this town deserves.—
Bill Plaschke,
Los Angeles Times,
30 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flash point.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flash%20point. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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