1
as in volcano
a potentially explosive place or situation
that troubled region remains one of the world's most dangerous flash points
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
This year, the island is a flash point once again.
—
Vivian Salama, The Atlantic, 1 Mar. 2026
The shift began even before the Israel-Hamas war turned the issue into a flash point within the Democratic Party.
—Linley Sanders, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026
European Union nations are just weeks away from a decision on where to host the bloc’s new customs agency, in what could be an initial flash point in the race to pick the next European Central Bank chief.
—Zoe Schneeweiss, Bloomberg, 25 Feb. 2026
But community members and lawmakers said video evidence called into question that narrative, and her death became a flash point in the debate over federal immigration enforcement.
—Bayliss Wagner, San Antonio Express-News, 22 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for flash point
Vivian Salama, The Atlantic, 1 Mar. 2026
The shift began even before the Israel-Hamas war turned the issue into a flash point within the Democratic Party.
—Linley Sanders, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026
European Union nations are just weeks away from a decision on where to host the bloc’s new customs agency, in what could be an initial flash point in the race to pick the next European Central Bank chief.
—Zoe Schneeweiss, Bloomberg, 25 Feb. 2026
But community members and lawmakers said video evidence called into question that narrative, and her death became a flash point in the debate over federal immigration enforcement.
—Bayliss Wagner, San Antonio Express-News, 22 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for flash point
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flash point
Noun
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His brothers, Barry Voight, a geologist who invented a formula to predict when a volcano will erupt, and Jon were born in 1937 and 1938, respectively.—
Mike Barnes,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Filmmaker Sara Dosa is going from the molten to the melting, from fiery volcanoes to dissolving glaciers.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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South Korea still plans to phase out use of coal, but the recent moves could outlast the crisis, Kim said.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The carrier recently parked 20 aircraft in Teruel Airport in Spain, a site typically used for long-term storage in crisis periods like the Covid-19 pandemic.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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And every so often, the virus plants a ticking time bomb in the nervous system.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Mar. 2026
-
One-time bomb specialist Bob (Leonardo DiCaprio) is laying low with his now-teenage daughter, years after his cell got disrupted.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Inside these trains, natural gas is purified and cooled to about –260 degrees Fahrenheit (–162 degrees Celsius), below the boiling point of methane.—
Stephanie Pappas,
Scientific American,
23 Mar. 2026
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For many in the sport, frustrations are at an all-time boiling point.—
Chris Marshall-Bell,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
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,
25 Mar. 2026
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Four younger men were tied up, with black bags covering their heads, and taken to a helicopter, the complaint said.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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That new evidence was the breaking point for Disney, and one wonders if that’ll reverberate through the ailing Bachelor franchise, which was supposed to have a fresh new star in Paul from one of Disney’s more recently popular reality series.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
19 Mar. 2026
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Separate research has shown that half of workers are at breaking point right now.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Redick’s team, which had seen a 13-point lead evaporate, again proved its mettle in crunch time.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
19 Mar. 2026
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Bridges came up with a critical isolation stop in crunch time of the Knicks’ Game 6 elimination win over the Detroit Pistons in last year’s first round.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flash point.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flash%20point. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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