1
as in volcanoes
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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Recent Examples of flash points
The context for Xi’s remarks was a potential war between China and the United States over Taiwan, and the urgency to tamp down flash points.
—
Letters To The Editor, Washington Post, 17 May 2026
Despite the focus on the Middle East, the leaders took up major regional flash points, including the South China Sea territorial disputes involving Beijing, a five-year civil war in Myanmar and a recent border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia.
—Jim Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026
But more potential flash points loom.
—Jill Lawless The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 5 Feb. 2026
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
Letters To The Editor, Washington Post, 17 May 2026
Despite the focus on the Middle East, the leaders took up major regional flash points, including the South China Sea territorial disputes involving Beijing, a five-year civil war in Myanmar and a recent border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia.
—Jim Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026
But more potential flash points loom.
—Jill Lawless The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 5 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flash points
Noun
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The Island of Hawaii features three famous volcanoes — Kilauea with its spectacular eruptions, Mauna Kea and its spectacular sunsets, and Mauna Loa, the world’s highest mountain when measured from its underwater base to the summit.—
Joe Yogerst,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
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The other satellite system, NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR), typically uses radar imaging to continually map and track changes across the Earth’s surface, including earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, and ice sheet collapses.—
Jeremy Hsu,
ArsTechnica,
27 May 2026
Noun
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That mirrors the focus Barrocas takes when fielding crises.—
James Manso,
Footwear News,
26 May 2026
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That was one of the biggest public health crises and the global Access to Medicine Movement was born in that context.—
Aisha Nyandoro,
Forbes.com,
26 May 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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House Bill 804, the Louisiana Energy Protection Act, stands at a potential crossroads as the state legislature enters its final week in session.—
David Blackmon,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
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The crossroads of style and comfort come together with an open-toed mules, all thanks to their chunkier heels and thicker sole padding.—
Daisy Maldonado,
InStyle,
25 May 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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The heads of the International Energy Agency, International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group and World Trade Organization also forecast further economic damage over the summer months if the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world’s oil supply typically passes, is not reopened.—
Alayna Treene,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
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For 2026, single filers and heads of household can make a full contribution if their Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) falls below $153,000, with the ability to contribute phasing out between $153,000 and $168,000.—
Andreina Rodriguez,
CNBC,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flash points.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flash%20points. Accessed 2 Jun. 2026.
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