1
as in volcanos
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 crises
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 points
Arrests are taking place all over the Chicago area, but some of the biggest flash points have occurred on the South and West Sides, which are home to many of the city’s largest Black and Latino communities.
—
Geraldo Cadava, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2025
Those efforts are now critical as AI and semiconductors become geopolitical flash points.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2025
Geraldo Cadava, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2025
Those efforts are now critical as AI and semiconductors become geopolitical flash points.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flash points
Noun
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Advocates also said the law closes dangerous gaps that traffickers could exploit and helps keep children with trusted caregivers during crises.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
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African commodities have long been essential to the modern global economy, but the world tends to ignore that fact until trade shocks or geopolitical crises occur.—
Anu Adedoyin Adasolum,
semafor.com,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
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About 150 volcanoes in the Atacama Andes—including Láscar, Chile’s most active—create this shape-shifting environment that’s as active as the travelers cresting it.—
Laura Dannen Redman,
Robb Report,
16 Oct. 2025
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Mexico’s Indigenous peoples, however, maintained respect for the woman, naming volcanoes, peaks and ceremonial dances after her.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
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After winning a national championship at Baylor in 2021, becoming an All-American and almost winning another national title at Houston in 2025, Cryer faced a basketball crossroads after five years playing in college.—
Nick Friedell,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri and Andrew Garfield star in the film about a college professor (Roberts) who finds herself at a personal and professional crossroads when her mentee (Edebiri) accuses a friend and colleague (Garfield) of crossing a line.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
12 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Thermodynamics drives selective recovery The researchers hypothesized that FJH combined with chlorine gas could exploit differences in Gibbs free energy and boiling points to selectively remove non-REE elements from magnet waste.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Sep. 2025
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Curio’s process is a dry electrochemical and pyroprocessing system, using heat and chemical reactions to separate isotopes and fission products, thanks to the materials’ different boiling points and weights.—
John Koetsier,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The deck team’s struggle to keep their heads above water is starting to look like an endurance challenge.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
21 Oct. 2025
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The jump in homeless students, advocates say, represents a swell in local families who have no roof over their heads.—
Grace Tucker,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flash points.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flash%20points. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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