1
as in volcanoes
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 crises
a time or state of affairs requiring prompt or decisive action
tensions between the two longtime adversaries were at a flash point
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flash points
Policymakers expect other flash points.
—
Alan Greenblatt, CBS News, 12 Jan. 2026
And a handful of standout horror films from around the ’70s, Johnson argues, specifically mirrored and even accelerated feminist flash points at a moment when public opinion regarding the roles and rights of women was wildly in flux.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2025
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
Alan Greenblatt, CBS News, 12 Jan. 2026
And a handful of standout horror films from around the ’70s, Johnson argues, specifically mirrored and even accelerated feminist flash points at a moment when public opinion regarding the roles and rights of women was wildly in flux.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flash points
Noun
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What’s most intriguing about this particular volcanic event is the way that multiple volcanoes all lit up at the same time, implying that they are connected by vast pools of magma that fuel multiple eruptions at once.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Normally, earthquake swarms happen near volcanoes or geothermal fields.—
Paul Rogers,
Mercury News,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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But so does an institutional tendency to respond to crises rather than implement reforms to completion.—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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By the Sixties and Seventies, avant-garde disciples of Cowell had embraced graphic notation to compose work that responded to crises both global and domestic.—
Olivia Giovetti,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Ray’s most chaotic photograms—jumbles that push out of the frame or look like time bombs ready to explode—find echoes in his films, projected on the back walls, a show in themselves.—
Vince Aletti,
New Yorker,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Turned to music, his body emerges from the ditch and now the dust is beautiful, a labyrinth of intersecting crossroads.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
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This crossroads of the world is set to become a crossroads for design-conscious travelers, too.—
Anna Grace Lee,
Vogue,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The intense temperature and pressure of the impact heated the moon's crust and mantle so much that many of the volatile elements present (volatiles are elements with low boiling points), including potassium, evaporated and escaped into space.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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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
Noun
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Football heads on social media couldn’t help but notice the name, Karene Reid, on the Denver roster ahead of Sunday’s AFC title game between the Patriots and Broncos.—
Lance Reynolds,
Boston Herald,
25 Jan. 2026
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But so was the team's coach and that's why the decision revealed on Thursday had parents scratching their heads.—
John Ramos,
CBS News,
25 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flash points.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flash%20points. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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